The Commitment years
by Rachelshamyfan
Summary: Sequel to The Road to Commitment, with more of all the characters lives into the future
1. Chapter 1

_**This is a continuation or sequel if you like of "The Road to Commitment"**_

_**The usual disclaimer I own none of the characters, except for the ones I made up and you all know who they are**_

_**Whereas the previous story was Shamy and Lenny heavy, this will be more of all the characters**_

_**Story starts in October 2015, 2 months after Penny gave birth to Archie **_

It was Monday morning and Sheldon and Alex were having a meeting about her work, she had come to the end of working through all of his journals and while she still had the "Sheldon after dark tapes" to go through, Sheldon was concerned that there wasn't much else for her to do.

"Alex I would like to thank you for going through all of those journals, it can't have been easy and even though there may not of been anything that would of got me a Nobel Prize, it was still worth going through them, now I have been to see President Siebert and he has requested a meeting with you in 10 minutes to talk about your future here, would you like me to join you?"

"Of course" replied Alex

"Right let's get going then shall we?"

Sheldon and Alex left the office and walked towards President Sieberts office, they were called in straight away and Alex was surprised to see Raj already in there

"Ah good morning Dr Cooper and Miss Jensen, please take a seat, I will explain what I have decided for your future Alex, unfortunately there are no permanent positions available within your chosen field at the moment and what I have decided and I have already spoken to Dr Cooper and Dr Koothrapalli and they have agreed with me, that you shadow Dr Koothrapalli for a year and learn from his field, you will get paid of course as Dr Cooper says there are still some things for you to do with him, how does that sound?"

"That sounds great President Siebert, how many days a week will I be working with Dr Koothrapalli?

"For now I will say 3 days a week with him and 1 with Dr Cooper, I understand you have a weekend job so obviously you will need a day off during the week"

"Oh thank you very much, I appreciate it" replied Alex

"Well thank Dr Cooper, he has been very happy with your work the last 2 years and he convinced me to keep you on, Alex I believe in time you will be an asset to the University, so it would be silly to let you go" replied Siebert

"What days am I to work here then? Asked Alex

"That will be for you to decide between yourselves"

"Alex we can have a chat in my office later if you like" said Raj

"Sure"

"Ok you can all go now" replied Siebert

The three of them walked back to Raj's office, where once they were seated Alex thanked them both

"Can I take you both out to lunch to say thank you, you have both been so great and Dr Cooper you didn't have to do what you did and for that I am grateful

"Alex, I have told you before, just call me Sheldon, we have been part of the same social group for a long time now and I don't think we don't need formalities in the office and yes I will accept your invitation"

"Yes me as well" replied Raj

Meanwhile at Penny's house, she was getting restless, since giving birth to Archie she hadn't had time to sort out a childminder and she had a list of people who wanted her personal shopper services, she was having lunch with Amy who had come home at lunchtime to check on Marie and was complaining about it, Amy's mother Barbara who was Marie's babysitter had an idea

"Penny I am already here looking after Marie and I would be happy to take care of Archie if you wanted to go back to work"

"Barbara are you being serious because I would only need you two days a week, I cant risk losing my clients, they obviously know my circumstances but I hate letting people down"

"Yes of course Penny, just let me know the days you want to go in and I will do it"

"Will Wednesday and Thursday this week be ok?

"Of course, just bring him over whenever you need me"

"Mom that's a very nice thing for you to do for my bestie" said Amy

"Its not a problem, Marie is very good and Archie isn't that much different" replied Barbara

"Oh Sheldon text me earlier, he and Raj were able to get Alex a job shadowing Raj's field of work at the University and they have all gone out to lunch together" said Amy

"You know its funny how things work out, I really didn't trust Alex when she first came to work for Sheldon, on account of her being over friendly with Leonard but now I would consider her as one of my closest friends" said Penny

"How are the stores going Penny? Asked Barbara

"Yes they are both good, I will be using some of my time to check on both of them, I know I need to start on the spring range soon, I am so glad I have Raj dealing with all the finances, I wouldn't be able to cope with that"

"Drat I have to go back to work now, bye Penny" said Amy giving Marie a little kiss on the head as she was sleeping and leaving Barbara and Penny to discuss further childcare arrangements

Later that evening Raj had returned home and found Kelly his wife of 2 months anxiously awaiting his arrival

"You know I've been thinking Raj, I think we will need to get a bigger place than this apartment" said Kelly

"Why what's wrong with here?

"Well for one it doesn't have a nursery" said Kelly, she was trying to drop a hint and Raj took it

"Are you pregnant?

"Yes! It's strange because I have had no morning sickness and it was only because I realised I missed my last cycle that I could have been, how do you feel about it? Asked Kelly

"This is fantastic, I'm going to be a daddy! Raj was over the moon with happiness and hugged and kissed Kelly

"So it's a good thing then, I think we should tell our parents soon though" said Raj

"Of course and our friends" replied Kelly

Just then as arranged previously Howard and Bernadette arrived with Rose for dinner, they took one look at the happy couple and asked what was going on

"We are having a baby" said Raj

"Congratulations, when are you due?

"If I go by my calculations then I would say May or June, I will need to get it confirmed by the doctors" said Kelly

"Also I haven't discussed this with Kelly yet and I hope she approves, but I hope you two could be godparents

Kelly nodded in approval as Howard and Bernadette both said yes

_**Ok chapter two will be along shortly and will follow the theme of the 1**__**st**__** chapter with a bit of mix of characters**_

_**I thank you in advance for the reviews**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Cheers for reviews and follows, they are all appreciated**_

_**Same week previous chapter**_

After Penny had arranged the days with Barbara that she would be childminding Archie, she text Leonard to tell him of the arrangements and that she hoped he agreed with her plans, which he did and she retrieved her list of clients from her laptop and started to arrange meetings with them, she didn't want to be away from Archie for too long, at two months old he was still quite young, so she arranged two meetings for Wednesday at the store for 1230 and knowing that particular client liked to take their time, made the other appointment for 330, she hoped to be back home by 6pm at the latest

It was 530 Wednesday evening and Leonard had returned home, finding that the house was empty, he realised Penny was probably on her way home, so went next door to Sheldon and Amy's house to collect Archie and to ask for a favour.

"Hey guys, I just wanted to ask if you would take Archie on the night of our wedding anniversary?"

"Sure, where are you going to go? Asked Amy

"I would like to take her to the Four Seasons in Beverley Hills" replied Leonard

"Oh that's nice, are you going to tell her before or surprise her?

"I think tell her before, it will be better that way" said Leonard as he received a text on his phone. "Oh good Penny has just got back, thanks Barbara for looking after Archie"

"No problems" smiled Barbara as Leonard left with Archie

Barbara left shortly afterwards and left Sheldon and Amy to talk about their respective days, Marie was on the floor on her baby mat, she was now just over 8 months old and was making lots of progress at crawling and making lots of noise with her toys, which caused Daisy to spend a lot of time elsewhere in the house

"I had another request today to speak at another Neuroscience conference in November" said Amy smiling at her daughter

"Oh, where is it this time? Also I thought you said you didn't want to go to them again" said Sheldon

"It's in Seattle and it's for two days again and you are right I just don't like leaving Marie overnight that's all"

"Well I will be here and so will your mum and between us we can look after her, she wont even notice you are not here" said Sheldon

"What do you mean by that? I am her mother of course she will realise if she doesn't see me for two days" said Amy

Sheldon realised he had goofed up and tried to make amends

"I didn't mean it like that Amy, I meant that she's such a calm baby and she is fine during the day with your mother, sorry if I upset you" said Sheldon

"Well seeing as you think she wont notice if I am gone, you can look after her tonight then" said Amy as she got up and collected her car keys, and tried to leave the house with Sheldon attempting to stop her

"Amy where are you going? Running away just because I said something stupid is more silly than what I said" Sheldon was astonished at Amy's sudden change of mood

"So now I am silly as well as a bad mother, jees Sheldon you have all the lines tonight don't you" Amy was shouting at him which woke Marie up "Look _your_ daughter is crying maybe you should see to her" said Amy as Sheldon hesitated and Amy left the house and drove off leaving Sheldon standing gob smacked at what just happened

Amy was driving nowhere in particular, she just needed to get out of the house, she and Sheldon hadn't any major rows since they had gotten married and she didn't know how to deal with it, she text Bernadette and asked to meet her at the Cheesecake Factory, Sheldon was ringing and ringing her phone, eventually she turned it off

Bernadette turned up at the cheesecake factory and saw Amy still in her car staring into space, she knocked on the car door and Amy let her in

"Amy what's the matter?, you look upset"

"Oh Sheldon and I had a stupid fight and I stormed out"

"What was the fight about?

"Just that I have to go to a Neuroscience conference and I don't want to leave Marie and Sheldon said she wouldn't notice if I was gone because of everybody else taking care of her and it sort of escalated from there really"

"Did he say he was sorry?

"Yes but then he said me storming out was more silly than what he said" said Amy

"You and he don't have much practice in the art of couples arguments do you?

"Not really, we have disagreements but they are usually resolved with an apology and kiss, I don't know why this has bothered me so much"

"Because you love him, Amy just remember all this relationship stuff is still new to you both, Sheldon spent years not needing or wanting to be with anybody and within the space of 2 years, you and he have got married and have had a baby, that's a lot of adjusting to do and I know about that with Howard and his weird unhealthy relationship with his mother"

"Maybe you are right, I probably overreacted" said Amy as she stared off into space again as Bernadette's phone rang, looking on the screen she saw it was Penny and answered

"Bernie is Amy with you? Sheldon is going out of his mind, he's left Marie with me and gone off driving around with Leonard to look for her"

"Yes, we are just having a chat now, she's coming back home" said Bernadette

"Ok, tell her to turn her phone back on as well, I will let Sheldon know" said Penny

"Will do" said Bernadette ending the call

"Come on I will drive you home and I can collect my car later"

"Sorry to drag you away from your family" said Amy

"Don't worry about it, it feels nice that I was needed" said Bernie "Oh Raj and Kelly haven't announced it to everybody yet but they just found out they are having a baby"

"Oh that's great news"

"Yes I think they were planning to tell everybody after their first scan on Friday" said Bernie

They arrived back at the house at the same time as Sheldon and Leonard, Amy thanked Bernadette and Leonard drove her back to the Cheesecake factory to collect her car and Penny was left to continue minding Marie while the Shamy sorted out their differences

Sheldon meanwhile was both apologetic and mad at Amy for leaving him

"Amy I can't believe you left like that, what was you thinking, I am sorry for saying what I did"

"Sheldon I hate fighting and I didn't know how to deal with it, I just needed space to think that's all"

"That's all? Amy don't ever do that again to me, I love you and trust you more than anybody in this world and I would be devastated to lose you"

"Yes I know, I am sorry too" said Amy looking at Sheldon

"Come here" said Sheldon as Amy walked towards him and he cuddled her close to him, "In future we talk, don't run away from me Amy" said Sheldon holding onto Amy tightly, Amy looked up into his eyes and could see the worry in them

"I'm not going to leave you over a silly argument Sheldon and I agree, in future we talk" said Amy

"You know I am glad you came straight back, my parents used to fight like crazy and do unspeakable things to each other to get revenge and then my father would stay away for days on end" said Sheldon

"Well we are not going to be like that, that was a one off semi-bad argument" said Amy

"I hope so" said Sheldon, he still had Amy in his arms and kissed her

"Look you go get Marie and I will order a takeaway, I don't feel like cooking now" said Amy

Sheldon returned with Marie and Amy took her up to be bathed and put her to bed, the takeaway arrived shortly after and they were relaxing on the sofa when an idea came to Sheldon, he got up and looked through his CD collection for the appropriate song and invited Amy to dance

"Why are we dancing? Asked Amy as the song started to play and she realised why

"Because it's our wedding party song and I want to reconnect with you" said Sheldon holding her tightly round the waist as Bryan Adams, Everything I do I do it for you played in the background

"I love you Sheldon" said Amy leaning up to kiss him as they swayed along to the song

"I love you too" replied Sheldon, the song ended and Sheldon led Amy back to the sofa where they chatted for the remainder of the evening, Amy decided that she would still go to the conference, despite her fears of leaving Marie, just before they went to bed, they received a text inviting them to Raj and Kellys on Friday for dinner

"I wonder what that's about" said Sheldon

"Oh they are having a baby, Bernie and Howard are the only ones to know so far, so I guess they will announce it properly then"

"Ok that's nice, Amy do you know what my parents never did when they had an argument"

"What's that?"

"They always went to bed either still arguing and not resolving it or one of them not coming back as I mentioned before, so now that we have resolved our problem, I want to end the day on a happy note" said Sheldon

"Ok, what do you have in mind? Asked Amy curiously

"Well your birthday is coming up soon, is there anything you would really like? Asked Sheldon as Daisy jumped on the sofa and landed on top of him

"Ooff you big lump get off me" said Sheldon as Daisy refused to budge

"I think the answer is something you are looking at Sheldon"

"What do you mean? asked Sheldon confused

"Another dog perhaps, not one as big as Daisy obviously but a play mate for her"

"But that's not a present for you, that's something for Daisy" said Sheldon

"Well it kind of is, let's go to the Shelter at the weekend, we will need to take her with us to see what she gets on with though"

"This sounds like something you have been thinking about for a while"

"Yes that's true, I also want another baby, but as I have mentioned before I want to wait a while yet"

"Ok you have a deal and to think I used to be scared of dogs" said Sheldon

"Yes I remember"

"Good that's settled then, now let's go to bed and have this happy note you mentioned before" said Amy

"Sure!" said Sheldon and without hesitation carried Amy upstairs to bed.

On Friday evening that week, the friends all gathered at Raj's apartment, Barbara was babysitting all the babies and Natasha had brought along her new boyfriend Mark, he just happened to be the manager of Penny's men's store and they had been dating for a few weeks, Alex had other commitments so was unable to attend but as was the plan for the evening, Raj and Kelly told their friends that they would be having a baby and also they were looking at houses, Raj could afford to buy a house outright but Kelly wanted to be sensible and tried to convince him they could get somewhere with a mortgage that she could contribute to

"Kelly if we can buy something outright, what would be the point of doing that"

"Because even though your parents like me Raj, I don't want them to think you are paying for everything, I want to earn my own money and pay for things myself"

"The money I have is my own money from years of savings and my trust fund, it has nothing to do with my parents, look I will compromise on not getting a big fancy house then"

"Great because I have seen something nearby that is just perfect" said Kelly

"Where is it?

"It's on Los Robles, opposite your friends old apartment block and I have arranged a viewing for tomorrow"

"Ok now that you have sorted your living arrangements out, you never said when the baby is due" said Penny

"Oh that will be the end of May" said Raj

The remainder of the evening was spent chatting amongst themselves and Penny finally managed to talk to Amy about the events of Wednesday evening

**Cheers for reading, Chapter three will be up in a few days**

_**I realised that during my previous story the Shamy never had a row and I wanted to see if could create one and have them resolve it quickly, also the Raiders episode gave me a bit of inspiration, let me know what you think**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Cheers for reviews and follows**_

On Saturday morning Penny had a 1130 appointment with a new client that Natasha had booked in for her the previous day, but at 845 she had a phone call from Alex at the store saying that two staff members had called in sick, Alex had already managed to get Natasha to go in as cover and asked Penny if she should call the men's store to to borrow one of their assistants until Penny was able to get there herself, she left Archie with Leonard promising to be back as soon as she could and made her way to the store, she got there at 1030, seeing that they was not too busy, she left Natasha to sort out duties with Alex and went to the office and waited for her appointment to arrive when Natasha came to the door

"Penny your 1130 has just arrived, apparently she needs to be seen now as she has made other arrangements that couldn't be changed"

"Ok, I shall be out in a moment, did you make her a drink?

"Yes of course, but we may have a little problem with this lady as I am pretty sure that just by looking at her, we won't have anything in her size"

"You seem surprised, I thought you booked her in yesterday? Replied Penny

"Yes but over the phone, she was recommended by one of your clients who happens to be a friend of hers"

"Hmm well it can only be a good thing because it will cost more to make whatever it is she will like then" said Penny

"Oh that's probably true, do you want me to work tomorrow? Alex said the weekend staff that called in sick have colds?"

"Hmm maybe its best and you can take Monday off and I will work myself unless I can get somebody else in, Leonard will be fine with Archie, for a few hours, come on lets go see this lady then"

Penny walked out to the waiting area where her client was waiting, she already knew her name and introduced herself

"Hello Mrs Carruthers, I am Penny the owner of the store, I am here to help with any style or choice of clothing you may need"

"Thank you Penny, I am after a whole new wardrobe of all the styles you have in your wonderful store, including some of your lovely handbags"

"Sure, I hope you don't find this too offensive but we don't actually stock plus sizes but we can have them custom made, I will let you know when they are ready though, it may take a few weeks"

"Oh that's no problem, I think you have found yourself a new client" smiled Mrs Carruthers

The fitting went well and Penny had an order totalling over $60,000 and a new client which made her think about advertising on the store website that they would at request make and design plus size clothes, before that though she emailed the seamstress company with all the relevant details of the order and was told that everything would be ready in 3 weeks time, by now it was 12pm and making sure that Alex and Natasha were ok, she left the store and phoned Leonard to let him know she was on her way home

Leonard meanwhile had his hands full as he had Archie and Marie, Amy and Sheldon had gone to the local dog Shelter and he had agreed to mind her until they came back

Amy and Sheldon left the house at 10am to go to the Shelter, they took Daisy with them and left her in the car whilst they spoke to the receptionist

"Have you had experience of dogs before?

"Yes we have a German Shepherd one now and she's in the car, we wanted to bring her in and see who she gets on with to help us choose" said Amy

"Does she get on well with other dogs?

"Yes, our friend has a yorkie and they get on terrifically well" said Amy again

"Ok wait here a moment and I will call for one of the adoption workers to come and see you, I would suggest getting your dog as well"

"Sheldon go and get her will you" said Amy

Sheldon returned with Daisy and the adoption worker took them through to the kennels

"Have you got an idea of what size or type of dog you would like?

"Any that gets on well with Daisy really" said Amy

"Ok we have lots of dogs that we have already tested with other dogs, so I can show you a selection of them, also if you have never been to a Shelter before it will probably break your heart and you will want to take home all the dogs but try to keep your emotions at bay a little"

They walked through the kennels and the adoption lady took them to a kennel where there was a white and tan Springer Spaniel in there,, she opened the door and the dog came bounding out and greeted Daisy with a friendly woof and wag of tail, Daisy responded the same way and the worker took the spaniel to the outside play area for them to bond.

"Ok her name is Cassie and she is 4 years old and she was brought to the Shelter after her previous owner died, we have neutered and vaccinated her, so if you feel this will work then you can take her"

Sheldon and Amy watched the two dogs chasing each other round and getting on fabulously, she called Daisy over to her and Cassie followed and let Amy and Sheldon pet her

"Sheldon I want her" said Amy

"Ok I agree, is that ok? Asked Sheldon to the worker

"Yes that's fine, usually we would do a house inspection for approval but as you already have a dog then we wont need to, I would suggest taking her now for the weekend and making a decision on Monday and you can come back on Monday to sort out the formalties"

"Oh really? Asked Amy in surprise

"Yes its best they spend a little time together before confirming" said the worker

They took Cassie home and Leonard went into the house with them with the babies and introduced Cassie to them and she was fine, the dogs were let into the garden to run off a bit of exercise, Penny arrived shortly afterwards and just as they were sitting down to lunch, Bernadette phoned Amy in a panic to say that she was bringing Rose over as Howard's mother had had a fall and she was needed with Howard at the hospital

Bernadette arrived shortly afterwards and informed the group that Mrs Wolowitz had broken her leg

"How long will she be in hospital for? Asked Penny taking Rose from Bernie

"I don't know but then there is the problem of her not being able to manage the stairs at her house"

"Why don't you let her live at your apartment until she is better then? Asked Amy

"I hadn't thought about that but she will need somebody to look after her at home and I guess that will be Howard, there's a lot to think about but thank you for looking after Rose, she hasn't had lunch yet though so if you could feed her as well" said Bernie as she quickly made her exit

When Rose realised her mother had gone, she not happy and at 14 months old decided to have a tantrum which involved throwing herself to the floor and screaming, the only thing that stopped her from screaming was to bring Daisy over to her and let Rose play with her until Amy could fix her something to eat

Leonard and Sheldon were currently entertaining Cassie by throwing a ball for her while Penny and Amy watched

"Amy how was the shelter this morning? Asked Penny

"Yes it was ok, obviously we came home with Cassie, we have to make a decision by Monday about whether we are keeping her but I think she will be fine living here"

After lunch Penny went back next door with Leonard and Archie and Amy managed to put Marie and Rose down for a nap and Sheldon went to find Amy who was working at her desk in the one room they had dedicated to as their office, he had a suggestion for her but noticing how engrossed in her work she was, he walked up behind her, leant over her and kissed her neck which made Amy shiver as she always liked when Sheldon did that, she then turned her head and they had a passionate kiss before Sheldon remembered why he had come to find her, he reluctantly let her go and sat on Amy's desk while she stayed in her chair

"Amy I have spoken to your Mom and Leonard, between them they can look after Marie and if you would like me to then I would like to join you on your Neuroscience conference"

"Oh Sheldon that would be lovely, what made you do that?

"Well since having Marie, we have not really had any time away together and I know its only two days but we can make it fun" replied Sheldon

"Ok, well Dr Carter will also be there along with my Assistant Grace, our current study is due to end at the end of next week and we will be starting a new one when we return, so it's a good opportunity for us all to go and learn from other scientists"

"Do you know where the conference is being held? Has you room been booked already?

"Yes it is at the Hilton Seattle Airport and Conference centre but I haven't booked a room yet"

"Ok let me have a look and I will book something special for us"

"Sheldon what are you going to do when the speeches are on? I know Neuroscience doesn't really interest you"

"Well I will listen to your speech obviously, I just want to support you Amy"

"Sheldon you are very sweet" said Amy

"Well after our little misunderstanding earlier in the week I want to be with you all the time and make the most of any free time we can get" said Sheldon as he leaned down to kiss Amy again and gently caressed her breasts

"Sheldon doing that will make me want to take you into the bedroom and have some naughty fun with you but we will have to wait until later, remember the babies are sleeping in the next room"

"Well that is a shame" said Sheldon pouting and pretending to sulk, Amy was just about to give into him when her mobile started to ring, seeing it was Bernadette she answered

"Amy, I am on my way back to get Rose, Howard is taking his mom home and staying with her until he can get a carer into look after her, he needs to work and cant afford to take time off to look after her"

"Ok see you shortly Bernie" said Amy getting up and leaving the room with Sheldon following her

"Amy look what state you have left me in!" Sheldon was pointing to his very obvious arousal, Amy cupped his arousal through his trousers and kissed Sheldon again, making him moan that he couldn't have her straight away

"You are such a vixen! Said Sheldon as Amy went to Marie's room and collected Rose who was still sleeping and took her downstairs to wait for Bernie to arrive

_**Next Chapter up shortly**_

_**Thanks to **__**INWHATUNIVERSE**__** who helped me with the plus size clothing idea for Penny's store**_

_**I have lots of ideas and plans for the story and they will be coming up in the next few chapters, now if anybody has a request for something they would like the characters to do, I will see about incorporating in somehow**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Cheers for reading**_

The weekend passed with no more dramas and Howard and Bernadette had moved in temporarily with his mother while she recovered from her broken leg, she would be getting a live in carer while her leg healed but she wouldn't arrive until Wednesday

As Natasha worked a full week and the weekend, Alex and Penny worked half shifts at the store on Monday, Barbara babysat Archie again and when Alex returned to Caltech in the afternoon, she had a request to have a meeting with President Siebert and Raj at 3pm

"Raj do you know what this is about? Asked Alex

"Yes of course but Siebert wants to tell you himself, don't worry there are no problems, in fact this will be something very good" replied Raj

"Are you sure?

"Yes you will find out soon enough"

"Right, how did your house viewing go? Asked Alex

"Yes we both liked the house and Kelly really wants us to buy it, so will probably make a bid tonight as we are viewing it again"

"How many bedrooms has it got?

"It has four and it's similar in style to Sheldon and Leonard's houses, only with an outside pool"

"Well good luck I hope you get it" said Alex

Shortly afterwards they went to President Sieberts office where he told Alex the reason for the meeting

"Alex as you are shadowing Raj for this year, we as a university felt it would be good to give you some more experience of what Raj does, so we shall be sending the two of you to Mauna Kea Observatories at the University of Hawaii and Raj can show you the telescopes he uses via satellite here"

"That's great, thank you when will we be going? Asked Alex

"The end of November so you have plenty of time to prepare and you will be gone from November 26th and return on December 1st so you will be away over the weekend, I would make the most of this opportunity, its not something we do for every employee but we have had a little bit of extra funding for the department and decided to use it for something useful, your itinerary including flights and accommodation will be sent to you shortly"

"Thank you again President Siebert"

"Just make sure you make the most of this opportunity, just because you are shadowing Dr Koothrapalli doesn't mean we are not taking notice, I see everything" replied Siebert ushering them out

Back in Raj's office, Alex was questioning Raj on the trip

"Will Kelly be ok with us going together?

"Yes and I already spoke to Penny first because obviously you wont be able to work at the store if you are away and Kelly will work the weekend shift, she's just started to have random bouts of morning sickness and she doesn't have any interest or knowledge of what we do, so it would just bore her and plus by then she will be about 12 weeks pregnant and I don't want to risk anything"

"Wow you have thought everything through"

"Yes, as today is your first official day shadowing me let me take you to the room where the computer is where we monitor the telescope"

"Will Kelly be taking maternity leave once she has the baby? Asked Alex as they left Rajs office

"Yes and over the next few months, she will be passing on her manager duties to her assistant Amanda and we need to advertise for another worker at the unit where the blossoms are made"

"Well if I think of anybody I will let you know, oh how is Howard's mom now? Asked Alex

"She is back home and Howard and Bernie are staying with her for a few days to help her"

Raj and Alex spent around an hour in the telescope room before returning to Raj's office and continuing with their work, then Raj left to meet Kelly to go back to the house and view it again as Raj just wanted to make sure it was what they wanted, after viewing it again, they made a cash offer which was accepted and the owners would be able to leave in 4 weeks time

Sheldon and Amy returned to the Shelter on Monday evening to complete the paperwork on adopting Cassie and promised to go back in the future, they got home at 6pm just as Penny arrived home from the store, she followed them into the house where Barbara was there looking after Archie and Marie, Penny needed to make new arrangements with Barbara regarding the childminding

"If it's ok I will need you to mind Archie tomorrow from 11 until 3 and again the same time on Wednesday, I won't be going to the store Thursday"

"Penny that's fine, I am available anytime you need me"

"Has he been ok this afternoon?"

"Yes, he slept a lot of it though and only woke up when Marie did"

"There may be changes in arrangements like this in the future as well, are you sure that's not going to put you off?

"Penny I already said its ok, don't worry I am here every day anyway"

Penny watched Archie in his baby chair in the playpen with Marie crawling around playing with her toys, the babies had a little audience of Daisy and Cassie watching them curiously through the mesh

Leonard text her to say he was home so Penny left with Archie, she greeted Leonard with a kiss

"How was the store today? Busy?

"Yes, I actually enjoyed working and I didn't have any clients today, Barbara is being very flexible about looking after Archie whenever I need her, she will be having him tomorrow as well"

"Well that's good and at least Archie is with somebody we know and not a stranger"

"Sure, look can you order a takeaway, I need to sit down and feed Archie and I'm feeling too tired to cook"

"You want your usual Chinese?

"Yes please" said Penny taking Archie out of his seat, she was still breastfeeding him, so sat down on the brown sofa they had brought with them from 4a and Archie latched on straight away, Penny was expressing milk for him when she couldn't be around but she knew the breastfeeding wouldn't last forever and wanted to make the most of it while she could

Leonard returned after ordering the Chinese and sat down next to Penny and told her of the plans for their wedding anniversary

"So for our one year anniversary I have booked us into the Four Seasons for the evening, we can have dinner there and Sheldon and Amy have agreed to look after Archie for us"

"Leonard really? That's lovely thank you for doing that, I can get a dress from my store and if you want a suit, just come with me to the men's store and choose"

"Can you believe a year has almost gone already? Asked Leonard

"I know it has gone quick and especially now we have Archie and we almost didn't make it after what I did to you" said Penny looking downcast for a moment

"Penny look that's in the past and I know you wont do that again, I trust you now more than anything" said Leonard leaning over and kissing Penny gently on the lips, she responded for a few moments

"Leonard I want to have lots of babies with you" said Penny suddenly

"Really, how many is lots and can we afford them? Asked Leonard dubiously

"Of course, I want as many as possible and anyway you are looking at a successful business woman here" said Penny

"Have you thought about doing more acting? You really enjoyed the web series you did last year?

"Maybe in the future, I have a lot going on right now with the store, the blossoms and you and Archie"

"Just make sure you don't overload yourself Penny, you don't want to be successful but exhausted and unable to enjoy the success"

"Oh I know how much I can handle" said Penny as the takeaway arrived, Penny put Archie in his chair while they were eating and he soon fell asleep

"Oh by the way, Sheldon has asked us to look after Marie the week after our anniversary as he is going with Amy to that Neuroscience conference, if we look after her the Sunday night, then Barbara will arrive and take Marie back next door and Archie if you are working, they will be back on the Tuesday" said Leonard

"Ok that's not a problem"

Meanwhile next door after Amy had put Marie to bed for the night, Sheldon and Amy were chatting in the kitchen while doing the dishes

"You know Amy I think its about time we reintroduced date night and I was thinking it would be good if your mom took Marie on Friday night and she can stay at her house and we can have the place to ourselves, make it a regular thing" said Sheldon

"I like that idea, I miss our date nights, have you thought about where you are going to take me?

"Yes to that Chinese restaurant that we both like, then maybe a movie and some fun time back here" said Sheldon suggestively winking at Amy

"Just what sort of fun time are you thinking of Sheldon? Amy knew about Sheldon's idea of fun time and liked it

"The sort of fun where I do this" replied Sheldon as he pulled Amy towards him and kissed her then lifted her up and sat her down on the side still kissing her and caressing her breasts, Amy was letting out little moans of lust as she pressed her body against his

"Come on lets go to the living room, where its more comfortable" said Amy hopping down off the side and leading Sheldon to the sofa, Sheldon laid Amy down on the sofa and soon they were grinding against each other, kissing and caressing each others bodies, Sheldon lifted Amy's top and started to lick her nipples when all of a sudden there was a deep growling coming from the floor next to them, Sheldon jumped up and saw that Cassie was there not looking happy

"What's the matter with you Cassie? Said Amy calling her to her, she petted her for a moment and Cassie stopped growling, Daisy was asleep in her basket taking no notice

"Ah maybe she thinks we are fighting? Asked Sheldon

"Perhaps, maybe she just needs to go out in the garden? Said Amy getting up and rearranging herself and taking Cassie and Daisy to the garden through the kitchen, Amy returned straight away "Sheldon I think we should install a dog flap and for security purposes we can get a magnetic one which only allows them in and out through a magnet on their collars"

"Yes sure, we can go out the weekend and get one, in the meantime, come back here you little vixen" said Sheldon pulling Amy onto his lap and continuing where they left off, they didn't last long as Marie soon woke up and Amy had to see to her

"I can see now why you suggested my mom takes her Friday night" said Amy trying to soothe Marie and rock her back to sleep

"Yes, I will finish the dishes and let the dogs back in, by the way I think we should also get a child gate for the stairs, she will be walking soon and it will keep the dogs down here as well"

"Ok seeing as we are talking about home improvements, how about the loft? It's just a big dusty room and we could make it into something special, like a guest suite?

"We have two rooms in the annexe and one spare room in the house, why would we need more? Asked Sheldon confused

"Just in case, over the next few years we might outgrow the house and need more space, the attic is the perfect place to do that"

"How we went from fun time to talking about home improvements, I will never know" pondered Sheldon

"Well it was a combination of the dogs and this one" said Amy as Marie finally went back to sleep

On Wednesday afternoon Howard's mother's carer arrived and Howard was able to return to work on Thursday before that though the group along with the children met up at the Cheesecake factory for dinner, Penny's old manager Paul was there and the restaurant bar was extremely busy and understaffed, the manager seeing that Penny and Kelly were there came and asked them both if they would work for an hour or two

"Penny and Kelly I know its been a while since you both left and you can see how busy we are, if you work for an hour or two tonight, I will give your group half off the entire meal and I will have your meal freshly cooked afterwards"

Penny decided to speak for the both of them with Kelly nodding her approval

"Sure but it will only be for an hour and don't make a habit of this because I have a very busy life" said Penny getting up and taking the aprons the manager handed her

"Penny are you sure you want to do this? We just came for a quiet night out, not for you to do the guy a favour" said Leonard

"Yes its fine, just watch Archie will you and when you are done, if you leave the car here and go home with Sheldon and Amy afterwards and I will drive Kelly home"

The girls went off to the bar and the group were discussing Howard's mother

"How long will she be in plaster for? Asked Amy

"At least 3 weeks, then she will need another x-ray to check its healing then she will need a brace just to support her leg, the doctors also recommended she lose a bit of weight but that didn't go down to well" replied Howard

"So will you be staying at your moms house or going back to your place? Asked Leonard

"I think now she has her live in carer we will be back and forth" replied Howard

"By the way guys, Kelly and I have bought that house we looked at on Monday, we will be able to move in the second week of November and we shall have a house warming party that weekend and we hope you will be able to join us" said Raj

"Of course and congratulations" said Amy

"Have you and Kelly thought of names for the baby yet? Asked Bernadette

"No but I would like a traditional Indian name and that's something I will have to talk to Kelly about"

"Hey it it's a boy you could call him Raj junior" said Howard

"Yes maybe" said Raj

By the time the group finished their meals, the bar was still busy so Leonard and Raj checked that the girls were ok and went home, the manager Paul came to them at 10pm and thanked them for helping him out and passed them their freshly cooked meals and Penny drove them home

The next day Sheldon asked Barbara if she would take Marie on Friday night and if she would make it a regular thing and she was happy to do so

_**Next chapter will have date night and then a bit of jumping ahead in time**_


	5. Chapter 5

On Thursday evening Amy went with Penny and Bernadette to her store to find a dress for date night, the store was open late on Thursdays, so they were able to leave the children with their fathers who were currently playing video games in Sheldon's game room

Amy had already seen on Penny's website the dress she wanted and told Penny about it, Penny was able to have the dress taken off the store floor and to be ready for Amy to try on, it was a white silk knee length dress, Amy tried it on and found that it fitted perfectly but felt that it needed something to accentuate the dress, Penny found a large belt and one of her necklaces and said Amy could borrow them as long as they were returned

"Amy as you know I give a 50% off everything for friends and family so the dress will cost you £250"

"Thanks Penny, I will have to make sure I get a lot of use out of it"

"Your welcome" smiled Penny as they paid for the dress and left the store and drove back to Los Robles

They arrived back at Sheldon and Amy's house and found that Natasha and Alex were there along entertaining the babies along with Kelly and Raj, the boys were still playing games but the girls noticed that Alex was in distress, she was sitting on the floor with Daisy in her lap and Cassie next to her

"Alex what's the matter? Asked Penny

"Oh it's the landlord of the building I live in, he has sold the building, he says he gave us all notice by letter two months ago but none of us received it and now he has kicked us all out, I am going to stay at my parents tonight but I don't know what I am going to do"

"What about all of your stuff?

"Apparently we can all go back tomorrow morning at 8am to collect everything as long as we are out by 1pm"

"I do know that 4a is empty, there was somebody in there but they left a few weeks ago, maybe you and I could flat share, it would cheaper as well" said Natasha

"Really? You want to share? Asked Alex in surprise

"Yes why not, Leonard and Sheldon were there for years and it all worked out well for them"

"But what about you and Mark, wont you need privacy and what about if you two advance your relationship" asked Alex

"Alex, we have been going out for two months, I am so not ready to settle down just yet and we get on, so what do you say?

"Alright, you just got yourself a new flat mate" said Alex smiling

"Let me go and see the landlord and explain the situation now, he was generous enough to give me 5b the same day it became vacant, I will be back shortly" said Natasha

"Alex you can stay here tonight if you like" said Amy

"Thank you, I have a suitcase in my car ready to drive to my parents but here is much closer to get back to my apartment in the morning"

"No problems, you can have a choice of rooms, either the spare room here or one in the annexe"

"The spare room I think, will Sheldon mind?

"Of course not, let me go and talk to him" said Amy as she walked to the game room and spoke to Sheldon about Alex's situation and he agreed with her decision

"All sorted Alex, you can stay, now does anybody want a drink? Asked Amy

"Amy I will do it as a thank you" said Alex taking everybody's orders and going to the kitchen with her doggy friends following her

Marie who was asleep and being cuddled by Kelly woke up and started crying, Amy went to take her off Kelly but Kelly kept hold of her

"Amy I will need practice to do this with my own baby, you don't mind do you? Asked Kelly

"No of course not, I better go and make up the spare bed" said Amy going upstairs with Penny following her

"Amy I can help you, Archie is sleeping and that was nice of you to do that" said Penny

"It felt nice, I had so long growing up being treated badly that I like to treat people how I would expect to be treated you know"

Penny nodded and they made quick work of making the bed and returned back downstairs where Natasha had returned with the key to 4a and a tenancy agreement and the boys on returning to the living room offered to help Alex move all of her stuff to 4a in the morning, Natasha would move her things down at the weekend, her apartment had come with furniture that wasn't hers and the landlord said would have to stay in 5b

The next day was date night for Sheldon and Amy, they had both taken the day off to help Alex and when Barbara arrived to look after Marie in the morning and hearing of the situation offered to take Archie and Rose if their parents were helping Alex move, with everybody helping, they were all done by the required time and moved everything into 4a, Natasha who was at work and couldn't take time off had flipped a coin with Alex the previous night to see who got which bedroom and Alex moved her stuff into Sheldon's old room

"Sheldon what time did you book the restaurant for? Asked Amy later that day after everything was finished and Barbara had taken Marie to her own house, they were both flopped down on the sofa

"7pm, you have plenty of time to get ready" said Sheldon

"Can you walk the dogs and I can have a shower, I feel a bit grotty and sweaty after all that moving stuff"

"Sure but you always look perfect to me" said Sheldon

"That's sweet, thank you, can I ask will it bother you that Natasha and Alex are living in your old apartment? We will have visits there in the future"

"No of course not, I only have happy memories there, why did you ask that?" asked Sheldon

"Its just that I know you like things to stay the same a lot that's all" said Amy as she got up off the sofa to go and get ready, Sheldon pulled her back down and gave her a very long kiss, when he stopped Amy could see his eyes were dilated with lust for her, he was also very aroused and Amy noticed kissed him again and straddled him on the sofa

"Sheldon Cooper you are so going to get lucky tonight" said Amy as she got off him and tried to leave the room but Sheldon followed her to the door

"Amy can't we get lucky now? Asked Sheldon pressing up against her

"We could but I want us to wait until later"

"You seriously want us to wait?" asked Sheldon leaning into kiss Amy again as they walked upstairs together, still kissing

"Yuh huh, I want to surprise you with my new dress so you can get ready in the family bathroom" said Amy untangling herself from Sheldon and going into their room

An hour later Amy was ready, she had put her hair up in a bun and had put on a small amount of make up, her dress fitted perfectly and she had also put on the jewellery Penny had leant to her, she had also bought a pair of cream heels

"Sheldon, you can come into the bedroom now" called Amy, she knew he had been ready ages ago and could hear him coming up the stairs, Sheldon arrived in the room and was impressed with Amy's dress

"Amy you look beautiful and you will be the sexiest lady in the restaurant tonight" said Sheldon

"Well I don't know about that but thank you for the compliment" said Amy

"Amy don't put yourself down, I think you are beautiful and sexy and that should be all that matters" said Sheldon seriously, Amy could only smile at him goofily

"By the way your grey suit looks very good on you" said Amy

"Well I know grey is your favourite colour" said Sheldon

"Whose car shall we take to the restaurant? Asked Amy

"I have ordered us a taxi to arrive in 15 minutes and that way we can both have a little drink but first of all there is something I would like to do" said Sheldon coming closer t Amy and picking her up and placing her down on the bed and kissing her, using his hands he felt his way up her leg when he felt a suspender strap, looking at Amy in surprise he realised just what she meant by how he was going to get lucky, he kissed her again and then helped her up

"Come on lets go downstairs, anymore time up here and I wont be able to control myself" said Sheldon hugging his wife

The taxi arrived shortly afterwards and they were at the restaurant in time for their booking and were seated in one of the private booths, the waiter appeared and gave them the menus before retreating

"Sheldon what are you going to have? Asked Amy

"You are what I really want Amy" replied Sheldon, they were seated next to each other and cupping her face, he gently kissed her for a few moments until they were interrupted by the waiter

"Would sir and madam like to order your drinks and starters now?

"Yes I think we will order the spring rolls and a side dish of spare ribs, also could you bring a bottle of white wine" said Amy

"Which spring rolls, we do meat and vegetable"

"Both" replied Amy

"Amy I know its still a couple of months away but what do you want to do for Christmas? We have the option of staying here with our friends or going to Texas"

"Would your Mom and Meemaw be prepared to fly out here? It's just that we have Marie and the dogs, it's a lot of things to think about" said Amy

"Yes I don't see why not and they can stay for a couple of weeks, Missy and George will probably come too" said Sheldon

"We could make it something special and include all our friends, we could all cook something different and they could bring it over to ours and it will be like a Christmas buffet" said Amy

"Oh I like that idea, I think we should talk to everybody about it first though" said Sheldon as their drinks and starters arrived the waiter took their meal orders before leaving again

They settled into a companionable silence whilst eating the starter before Sheldon remembered to tell Amy of the new plans for the Neuroscience conference

"I know you were going to leave first thing on the Monday morning but I have booked us flights on Sunday evening at 7 and Leonard and Penny will take Marie until your mom gets here in the morning and they will have Marie between them until we get back on the Tuesday night"

"Sounds wonderful" said Amy

They finished the rest of their meal and skipped dessert before returning home in the taxi, as soon as they were in the front door, Amy kicked off her heels and flopped down on the sofa with Sheldon following her, they kissed for a few moments before Sheldon picked her up and took her to their bedroom, they were both a little tipsy but that was all, Amy went to the bathroom and took off her dress, she was wearing along with the suspenders a matching bra and g-string, she left the room and stood in front of the bed, Sheldon had already stripped and only had on his boxers

Sheldon pulled Amy towards him and kissed her, using his tongue to open her mouth and his hands to fondle her almost naked body then they moved to the bed, he laid on top of her and was licking and sucking on every part of her, Amy was raking her fingernails down his back which made him bury his head in her cleavage, he then took her bra off and started sucking on her nipples which were now very erect, using his hands he fondled her thighs and grazed his hands up and down her legs, Amy pulled Sheldon back up to him and kissed him hard, soon they were grinding and rocking against each other, both making little moans of lust

"Sheldon I want you inside me now, I don't think I can wait"

"I am not ready yet and you made me wait earlier, I want to enjoy every bit of you for now Amy" said Sheldon "Urgh oh" said Sheldon again as Amy reached into his boxers for his erection and started pumping it, then she pulled off his boxers and Sheldon took her panties off and grabbing a condom from the drawer in the nightstand, he quickly put it on and they continued to kiss as he inserted his arousal into her, Amy could feel every bit of him as thrust into her, they were rocking against each other and Amy wrapped her legs around Sheldon's bottom to bring him deeper inside her, Sheldon was licking and sucking her nipples and Amy who was on the verge of an orgasm, then shuddered beneath Sheldon and pulled him down for a kiss, he was still thrusting away but Amy could see he was close

"Sheldon let me try something" said Amy as Sheldon rolled off Amy and Amy slid down to his erection and after taking the condom off took his arousal in her mouth, she sucked and caressed his arousal for a few minutes until Sheldon exploded with his own orgasm, after a few moments for him to recover he pulled Amy back up to him and kissed her

"Wow Amy you can do that all the time now, that was great"

"You kissing me shows how much you have grown, because before you would of made me use mouthwash after what I just did to you" said Amy

"Who cares about that when we are in the throes of passion, by the way nice choice of sexy underwear, I think that will be making an appearance again soon" replied Sheldon, he kissed Amy again and cuddled her close to him, his body was still wanting Amy though and Amy knew it

"I told you earlier that you would be getting lucky tonight" said Amy, manoeuvring herself on top of Sheldon she straddled his erection and soon they were making love again, much later after they were laying in each others arms, Amy suggested they take a shower before they went to sleep

"No lets just sleep, we can shower together in the morning" said Sheldon

"Sure why not, come here and kiss me again" said Amy

"You were right about me getting lucky even if you did make me wait" said Sheldon smiling at her and kissing her again, before turning her over and spooning her so they could go to sleep

They were woken in the morning by the sound of the front door closing, Amy jumped up and looking at the clock saw that it was 10am which was the time Barbara was bringing back Marie

"Sheldon wake up, my mother is here" said Amy shaking him, quickly putting her dressing gown on her she made her way downstairs and found her mom in the kitchen with Marie

"Morning Amy, I can see you had a good night" said Barbara smirking at her

"Yes we did, we overslept, sorry about that" said Amy

"Hey don't worry about it, you need the time with your husband, look I will mind Marie, while you go and shower and I will make you breakfast as well" said Barbara

Amy went back upstairs to her bedroom, Sheldon hadn't got up and was snoring away, Amy shook him again and this time he woke up, seeing his wife he broke into a smile and pulled her down for a lingering kiss

"Sheldon my mom is making breakfast, come on lets have that shower and we can go downstairs"

Once in the en suite, Amy took her dressing gown off and turned the shower on, Sheldon followed her in and cuddled her while they waiting for the water to heat up

"Amy I really enjoyed last night and well as you can see and tell I just cant get enough of you" said Sheldon

"I know the feeling" said Amy leading Sheldon into the shower, she could see he was still aroused and Sheldon picked her up in the shower and Amy wrapped her legs around his waist while he thrust into her, the combination of the water and having shower sex made Sheldon come quickly, Amy washed away the evidence and Sheldon gently washed her breasts, giving her nipples little kisses before they returned to the bedroom and got dressed and went downstairs for breakfast, they found that Penny and Leonard were there with Archie in the playpen with Marie

"Oh good, you are here, Amy and I were discussing plans for Christmas last night and this is what we were thinking of doing" said Sheldon as he explained the plan, fortunately Penny agreed and said she would invite her parents and Leonard would see if his mother would come as well

"We still need to ask the others but I think they will say yes" said Amy

"Sure, look as you two seem to have only just emerged and haven't had breakfast yet, I will leave Archie here for a few minutes as Penny has to go to the store for an appointment and I can take the dogs for a walk and I can ring Howard and Raj and see what they think" said Leonard

"Thank you Leonard" said Amy

The rest of the day passed quickly and in the afternoon, Sheldon and Amy returned from shopping with a new dog flap which would be installed on Sunday morning thanks to Howard, the group got together again on Sunday evening this time at Leonard and Penny's and it was agreed that the Christmas plan would go ahead, they only had to tell Sheldon and Penny's families who would be flying long distance, Kelly's family lived in Florida and were unable to come but Kelly and Raj would definitely be staying in Pasadena for Christmas and Alex who usually spent Christmas with her parents in Malibu was staying with her friends as well.

_**Hope you enjoyed that**_

_**Next chapter up shortly**_


	6. Chapter 6

The following week on Wednesday Penny was at her store with a client when she had a call from her manager Claire requesting a meeting that afternoon, they agreed to meet at Penny's house at 4pm once she had finished with her client

Penny drove home and checking with Barbara that she could continue minding Archie until the meeting finished, she went into her own house and waited for Claire to arrive, she arrived shortly afterwards looking excited with the news that she had for Penny

"Hi Penny, nice house you got here, now The Craig Ferguson show will be having a Christmas special with a difference, they will be having a live speed guest slot of 5 minutes each to catch up with the guests they have had over the past two years, I haven't said yes yet because I wanted to see what you thought?"

"Oh that sounds like something I would be interested in, what day would it be?

"Its going to be on December 22nd, the show is scheduled to go out from 7pm until 9pm, they have already had guests saying yes and they have asked if you would be happy to be the final guest as the researchers have followed your success since you was last on and they have had a lot of requests on their message forum asking for you, so they wont actually announce you are appearing until you do"

"Wow, that's a lot of pressure on me then to give them something special" said Penny

"Yes but look at what's happened since you last appeared, you have had all these amazing things happen" replied Claire

"Ok I will say yes but will I be able to have extra guest seats? My family will be coming and I would like my friends to come and also their families"

"Well it depends how many are coming but as you will be their most wanted guest, I am guessing they will say yes"

"There will be at least 18 if everybody says yes"

"Fine, I will ring them now to confirm, I have another client to see so I better get going, how is Archie by the way?

"Oh yes he is fine, did you want to see him? He's next door with the childminder"

"Sure why not"

They went next door where Claire spent a few minutes with Archie before going off to meet her client, Penny herself was bursting with happiness at appearing on the show and was telling Barbara about it when Sheldon and Amy arrived home along with Leonard, so she told them as well

"Sheldon have you asked your family if they are coming yet?

"No I will do it tonight and I think they would be excited to go the show if you can get enough tickets" replied Sheldon

"I think this calls for a little celebration, why don't we all go to the Cheesecake factory later, we can let the others know and meet at 7, are you coming Barbara? Asked Penny

"No I have dinner plans with a friend but thank you"

A few minutes later Claire phoned Penny to confirm she could have all the guest seats she liked.

Later on after returning from the Cheesecake factory, Amy said she had a little work to do so went to the office to work on her laptop leaving Sheldon in charge of Marie, so Sheldon set up his Skype and rang his mom, Marie was still awake so he wanted to show her to his mom, his mom answered straight away

"Hello Shelley, how are you and how's my favourite granddaughter?

"She's your only granddaughter mom, I am fine by the way, Amy and I were talking about Christmas plans, would you all like to come here?

"Yes why not, luckily everybody is here so I can ask them" said Mary though having heard the conversation they all appeared on the screen and said yes

"Fine, I will book your flights in the morning, also Penny will be appearing on a live segment of the Craig Ferguson show, so she was able to get everybody tickets if they want to go and watch, so if you all come on the 20th December and stay till new year then?"

"Sure why not Shelley and you know I will ask this but have you been to church yet this year?

"No but Archie will be christened at some point and Amy and I are godparents so I will be going then"

"Well you can come with me on December 24th and we can get the priest to bless your wedding anniversary as well"

"Right I will email you all tomorrow with the flight details, Amy needs to get Marie to sleep now, so I shall say goodnight, oh I will email you more details about the Christmas plans that our friends have all decided about"

"Ok Shelley, remember your mother loves you"

"Yes mom, I love you too and see you later" said Sheldon signing off

Sheldon went upstairs carrying Marie, seeing that Amy was still working, he bathed her and then gave her bottle before rocking her to sleep and put her down in her cot before going to the office and seeing Amy, he greeted her with a kiss, he noticed the schedule for the conference in Seattle

"Amy I didn't realise you were still Dr Fowler in academic circles?

"Yes I only use that for work purposes, I am known as Dr Fowler in the Neuroscience field so it makes sense to still use that, you don't mind do you?

"No of course not, Marie's asleep now, did you want a drink?

"Oh tea please, sorry I had to get this report done, I should of put Marie down"

"Amy its fine, I could see you were busy and remember I am her father, I am more than capable"

"Ok, I am done now, let me just send this report to Dr Carter and we can go downstairs" said Amy smiling at her husband

"Meet you down there" said Sheldon

A few minutes later Amy arrived back downstairs in just her nightie and flopped down on the sofa next to Sheldon who had put on a star trek dvd, Amy's tea was ready for her

"You don't mind if I watch this do you? Asked Sheldon putting her arm around Amy, she leant into him and they cuddled on the sofa

"No of course not, I might just watch a bit of it with you, I have to go in early tomorrow as one of the lab tecs who usually comes in early can't make it"

"How early is early?

"7:30 so you will have to get Marie ready for my mom, its only a few days left to run on the study and I don't want anything to go wrong"

"Sure"

"How was your mom, is everybody coming?

"Yes I will book the flights tomorrow and tell her of the new plans for Christmas"

"Good, now I will just take the dogs out and then I'm going to bed"

"Amy! Its 1030pm at night, I don't want you going out this late, they can go in the garden"

"You are very sweet Sheldon" said Amy leaning up to kiss Sheldon, he responded with passion, he could feel every bi of Amy on him and he wanted her so much

"Hmm well it is getting late and maybe I don't really need to watch this star trek dvd after all, you look very sexy in that nightie tonight" said Sheldon getting up and turning the TV off and leading Amy upstairs

"Well I do like to please you Sheldon" said Amy once they were in the bedroom and in bed

"Oh Amy you do please me, so much" said Sheldon kissing her again

_**Ok strange way to end a chapter but I have plans for the next chapter which be up shortly**_


	7. Chapter 7

It was Saturday a few weeks later at the beginning of November and the day of Leonard and Penny's first wedding anniversary, they were booked into the Four Seasons for dinner at 7 and to stay overnight, they wanted also to celebrate with their friends so had invited them around in the morning for brunch and afterwards Penny spent a bit of time with Archie before she took him round to Sheldon and Amy's so they could have him for the evening, she and Leonard were due to leave at 4pm so as not to miss the final check in of the day at 6pm

"Ok, here is the bag with everything you will need for him, there is plenty of milk if he needs it and his toy that he takes to bed with him," Penny was nervous about leaving Archie overnight for the first time but she knew he would be in good hands with her friends

"Penny don't worry, If there are any problems we will call you but just go and have an enjoyable evening with Leonard, where is Leonard by the way?" asked Amy taking the bag from Penny

"He is just getting changed, he's booked us a limousine to get to the hotel" said Penny

"You look gorgeous by the way" said Amy looking at Penny's blue dress with the very visible cleavage

"Well I know that Leonard won't be able to take his eyes off me!" said Penny

"Indeed, you better get going" said Amy

"Sure, let me just kiss my beautiful baby, we will be back at 11am to pick him up" said Penny as she kissed Archie on the forehead and passed him to Amy and quickly left before she changed her mind

Next door Leonard had changed and was waiting for Penny to come back after dropping Archie off, seeing Penny walk in, he was left speechless at the dress for a few moments

"Penny if we wasn't booked into the Four Seasons, I would be taking you upstairs and ripping that dress off you right now" said Leonard unable to take his eyes off his wife

"I see you went to the men's store and bought a suit, I hope you used your discount" said Penny

"Of course now come here a moment" said Leonard as Penny walked towards him, he pulled her close and after getting an eyeful of cleavage, he kissed Penny and she responded with enthusiasm, they were getting more into it when they were interrupted by a knock at the door

"That will be the limo driver" said Leonard picking up their overnight bags and walking out with Penny

The limousine was stocked with champagne and wine so Leonard poured Penny some and they settled into the luxurious leather seats and kissed again, the drive to Beverley Hills was quick thanks to a lack of traffic and soon they were in the reception area of the hotel waiting in line to be checked in to their room

"Good afternoon, may I take your names? Asked the receptionist

"Yes Its Hofstadter, we are booked in to the Deluxe Balcony Room" said Leonard

"Oh yes I see it now, if you would like to wait here a moment and a porter will escort you to your room, also there is a note on here from a Dr Cooper, he has paid for you two have two bottles of our finest Champagne on your first anniversary"

"Oh that's great" said Penny

"Congratulations by the way" said the receptionist

Shortly afterwards they were shown to their room, Leonard tipped the porter and they realised it wasn't just a room but it was set out like a little apartment and the balcony overlooked onto Beverley Hills, Leonard opened the champagne and poured a glass for Penny and for himself, they sat down on the large sofa and shared a kiss

"By the way Penny would you like to exchange gifts now or at dinner?

"Oh I think now, we still have 30 minutes until our dinner reservation" said Penny

They both went to their bags and came back with the gifts they had gotten for each other, Leonard gave Penny hers first which were pink diamond earrings

"Leonard these are beautiful, thank you" said Penny hugging him

"Well I was going to give them to you on our wedding day but I felt that it would be better to give it to you now, they almost match your engagement ring"

"Oh yes" said Penny admiring her ring and passing Leonard his gift

"Now I know you don't usually wear jewellery apart from your wedding ring so I hope you like it" said Penny

Leonard opened the box and found a Daisy Signet Ring with carved black onyx

"Thank you Penny, I like it" said Leonard putting the ring on his right hand, it fitted perfectly

"Your welcome, I need to ring Amy and check on Archie" said Penny

"Penny, Archie will be fine" said Leonard

"I know but I still need to check, are you not worried about him?"

"Of course but he is with the people we trust most to look after" said Leonard

"I know I am turning into one of those neurotic mothers" said Penny

"Look I have my laptop, lets Skype them and we can thank Sheldon for the champagne as well" said Leonard

10 minutes later Penny was feeling satisfied that Archie was ok, she and Leonard continued to sip the champagne while they sat on the balcony admiring the view, Leonard was feeling particularly horny and unable to take his eyes off Penny, she was looking very good to him and had lost the little amount of baby weight she had put on

"Come on we better go down to the restaurant" said Penny as they walked back into the suite

"Ok but before we do, sit down on the bed a moment" said Leonard leading Penny to the bed

"Why what's the matter?

"Nothing, I just would rather do this up here than downstairs with people overhearing, Penny asking you to marry me was the best and scariest thing I have ever done, I was scared that you would say no and then very happy when you said yes, the past year has been the greatest personally for me and I love you" said Leonard

"Leonard that's beautiful, I know why it was scary for you and I would have said yes anyway, you took me back and learned to trust me again and you have given me a beautiful baby boy and I love you as well" said Penny with tears in her eyes

"Hey don't cry" said Leonard hugging her, the hug turned into a kiss and before they knew it they were rolling around the bed kissing and cuddling with Leonard moving on top of Penny before they remembered about their dinner reservation

"Come on we will have time for this afterwards" said Penny getting off the bed and straightening her dress, she noticed Leonard was still lying down on the bed "What's the matter?

"Penny you are stunning tonight and I am so lucky to have you"

Well I am lucky to have you, come on lets go" said Penny extending her hand to Leonard and walking down to the restaurant

"By the way the restaurant has live music from 930 so if we are still eating, we can join in I guess" said Leonard

"Really? You want to dance in front of strangers?

"Yes of course, I did it plenty of times when we partied on that boat in the North Sea"

"Oh I see" said Penny as they reached the restaurant and were shown to their table, they sat down and the waiter took their order, then a few moments later, Leonard felt a tap on his shoulder, looking round he saw Will Wheaton behind him

"Oh hi Will, how are you doing" asked Leonard

"I am fine, I am having a meeting with my manager and he should be here shortly"

"I would ask you to join us until he gets here but Penny and I are celebrating our 1st wedding anniversary today" said Leonard

"Oh yes, I heard from Sheldon that you two got married and had a baby"

Leonard took out his phone and showed Will the latest picture of Archie, Will admired it for a few moments and then spotted his manager coming in

"Sorry guys gotta go and congratulations by the way, say hi to Sheldon from me" said Will shaking both their hands and going to the back of the restaurant with his manager

A little while later after they had finished their main meal a waiter appeared with a bottle of champagne and said it was courtesy of Will Wheaton, Leonard looked over to where Will was and gave him the thumbs up

"That was nice of him, wasn't it Penny" Leonard still didn't know that Will was the reasons for their first break up and Penny sure wasn't going to tell him now

"Yes" said Penny shortly, "Do you want dessert?

"Not really, all this stuff will make my lactose intolerance worse"

"Ok" said Penny smiling at her husband, Leonard took Penny's hands in his and leaned over the table to kiss her

"Come on lets go" said Leonard signalling for the waiter to bring the bill

"You don't want to wait for the live music and dancing? Asked Penny

"No I want you instead" said Leonard

Penny led Leonard out of the restaurant and up to their room, she didn't have a chance to close the door before Leonard was kissing her and pressing her up against the door, she knew he was turned on by her dress and leaned more into him, kissing him and caressing his bottom, they stumbled to the bed and laying down next to each other, wrapped their legs round each others and carried on kissing, before long though their clothes were getting in the way so they quickly stripped off and got back into bed, with Leonard fondling Penny's breasts, he had to be gentle with them though for obvious reasons, he moved on top of Penny and continued kissing her, while she played with his erection, soon he was ready to enter her but Leonard discovered he had a problem

"Penny I don't have any condoms"

"That's ok, I packed some just in case" said Penny reaching over to the bedside table and taking the packet out, quickly putting the condom on, he then pulled Penny back closer to him and entered her, soon they were rocking against each other and Leonard was thrusting deep into her, Penny was squirming underneath Leonard and grabbed Leonard's hands and guided them to her breasts, stopping the thrusting for a moment, he gently sucked Penny's breasts and thrust into her again which made Penny orgasm and he followed himself a moment later

"Well that was different" said Penny when they had stopped panting

"Good, different? Asked Leonard

"Yes" said Penny cuddling up to her husband and kissing him

A short while later, the TV had been turned on and put on a music channel, Leonard and Penny were still in bed, this time sitting up against the headboard sipping the champagne they had been given and kissing from time to time, they dropped off to sleep some time after midnight and woke at 8am and Penny on seeing Leonard was aroused, moved on top of him and guided herself into him, they made love again and afterwards had a shower and ordered room service and quickly packed up before checking out, their limo was picking them up at 10am, they arrived back at Sheldon and Amy's house on time and Penny rushed to see her son who was laying down in the playpen playing with some stuffed toys, picking him she smothered him with kisses and cuddles

"Amy thank you for looking after him, was he ok?

"He was perfect Penny, he only woke up once in the night and that was what you said he would do" said Amy as Marie who found herself alone in the playpen tried to stand up and fell back down crying

"That's the first time she has tried to stand, it's a bit early in age isn't it? Asked Sheldon

"Well she is 9 months and usually babies start experimenting around then" said Amy scooping her daughter up and cuddling her

"By the way, Raj and Kelly popped round last night to say that instead of having a house warming party next week, they will leave it until New Year and host the party then" said Sheldon

"Ok that's fine" said Penny

"By the way we saw Will Wheaton at the Hotel restaurant, he said to say hi" said Leonard

"Ok, we were just about the take the dogs down to the dog park if you guys wanted to come? Asked Amy

"Sure will be good to get some fresh air" said Penny, she was now sitting on the sofa with Archie and Cassie had taken a liking to her and was sitting in front of her watching everything she was doing, which made Penny think

"Leonard as well as having lots of children, I also want one of these" said Penny stroking Cassie's ears

"Just the one are you sure? Asked Leonard dubiously

"Well it works here, so why not get two, we have a big house and garden to fill" Asked Penny

"Yes well you know I cant deny you anything, maybe you will get an early Christmas present this year" said Leonard, Penny responded by giving Archie to Sheldon and hugging Leonard, this caused Cassie to start growling, Amy silenced her with a whistle

"Erm sorry about that, we think that when people are happy, Cassie thinks they are fighting and that's her way of stopping the "fighting" in her eyes" said Amy

"Has it happened before? Asked Leonard noticing Cassie had resumed her position in front of the sofa now that Penny was sitting back down

"Yes only twice though and both those times, Sheldon and I were having some fun time, so now they stay downstairs when we go upstairs" said Amy

"Sounds sensible" said Leonard as they gathered up their things and drove off to the dog park

_**Next chapter up shortly**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Smut alert!**_

_**I forgot to put that also on my last chapter**_

The week after Leonard and Penny's wedding anniversary, Amy and Sheldon were at the Neuroscience conference in Seattle, Amy had just given her speech on the work that she and her work colleagues had worked on together and which was to do with the addiction studies they had worked on and Amy had been given a standing ovation at the end of it, which surprised and pleased Sheldon, he was sitting at the front of the auditorium with Dr Carter who was looking very happy, he saw Amy approaching him but was then interrupted by several people looking to talk with her. He walked up to Amy and stood next to her.

Amy introduced Sheldon to the two gentlemen talking to her

"Sheldon I would like you to meet Dr Cranston, he is head of Neurobiology at Seattle University and this is Professor McDonald from Harvard, he was my lecturer when I studied there, gentlemen this is my husband Dr Sheldon Cooper"

"Nice to meet you both" said Sheldon politely shaking their hands

"What field do you study Dr Cooper? Asked Dr Cranston

"I am a theoretical physicist at Caltech" replied Sheldon

The two men nodded at him and they exchanged small talk for a few minutes, then Dr Cranston excused himself to talk to somebody else and Professor McDonald spoke with Amy for a few minutes before also excusing himself

"Amy that speech was brilliant, you are such a good public speaker, if that was me I would be nervous as anything" said Sheldon kissing his wife on the cheek

"Thank you, look the next speech is not for 30 minutes, let's go back to our room and have some private time away from everybody wanting to ask me questions" said Amy leading her husband out of the hall and up to their room

"What's wrong? Asked Sheldon once they were back in their room and noticing Amy was quiet and just staring out the window

"I know I didn't show it, but that did make me nervous, I am still so used to being bullied and having no friends growing up that its kind of hard to take praise easily as an adult and I end up feeling a little claustrophobic around everybody" said Amy

"That's exactly how I feel when I am around people I don't know Amy" said Sheldon walking towards Amy and cuddling her from behind and kissing her neck

"Thank you Sheldon, I needed that and I am glad you were here watching me, only Dr Carter knows about the nervousness and she encourages me to do the speeches when she could just as easily do it herself" said Amy turning round and hugging Sheldon again, she led him to their king size bed and they lay in each others arms cuddling for a few minutes

"I don't understand why you couldn't tell me though" asked Sheldon

"Sometimes things are better left unspoken" said Amy shrugging her shoulders

"Yet you can talk to a room full of students without any problems though" said Sheldon

"Yes that's because I am imparting my knowledge on to them and I enjoy doing that, talking to a room full of distinguished scientists however scares the crap out of me" said Amy

"At least you don't have any more speeches to do today Amy"

"That's true, I have a meeting with Dr Carter and Grace at 6pm, so I don't know what you want to do then" said Amy

"I will probably stay up here and watch TV until you come back and we can go for dinner" said Sheldon kissing Amy, she kissed him back and cuddled him closer to her, she then realised that she had aroused him and gently cupped his erection which made Sheldon moan and kiss her hard on the lips, he then pulled Amy on top of him and they made out for a few minutes

"You always do this to me when we are just about to go somewhere" said Sheldon looking put out that they had to go back down to the auditorium

"I promise you then that I will resolve that later" said Amy kissing him again

"I will hold you to that, literally!" said Sheldon hugging his wife

"Thank you for being with me here Sheldon, maybe you could join me on the next one, just seeing you out there in the audience helped me a lot" said Amy

"Of course I will, I am your husband and I am proud to support you" replied Sheldon taking Amy's hand in his and leading her back down to the hall, they were seated next to Dr Carter who praised Amy's performance and said the same thing to Sheldon about Amy being calm during her speech because he was there

They sat through three more speeches before Amy went off for her meeting and she returned to their hotel room at 630 earlier than Sheldon expected

"Sheldon we will be able to leave earlier than normal tomorrow as the final two speeches in the afternoon have been cancelled, the scientists scheduled to do them have not arrived as they were coming from Australia and their flights were cancelled due to bad weather in the Philippines"

"What time will we leave then?

"2pm, I have changed our flight details and luckily there were two seats left on that flight"

"Ok, do you want to get room service instead of going downstairs? Asked Sheldon

"Sure why not" said Amy looking through the room service menu and she and Sheldon ordered their food and watched TV while they waited and discussed the speeches they had heard that day

"Shall we skype your mom to see how Marie is? Asked Sheldon

"Yes, I miss her you know" said Amy

"I know I do as well" said Sheldon getting his laptop out and skyping Barbara, though it wasn't Barbara that answered, instead it was Penny

"Hi Penny, you ok? Asked Amy puzzled

"Yes, Amy I didn't know you were going to skype and I didn't want to worry you but your mom had a little fall and broke her wrist, she's at the hospital now with Leonard" replied Penny

"How did that happen? Asked Amy

"I was here with her so I saw it happen, she tripped over Daisy and just landed awkwardly on her wrist, the bone was showing so we both knew it was broken, listen I have no appointments tomorrow so I will be minding Marie until you get back, also I have cancelled my appointments for the rest of the week as I know you will need to work and I can mind Marie" said Penny

"Thanks Penny, we owe you big time, is Marie ok?

"You don't owe me anything, its what friends are for and yes Marie is ok and in her playpen with Archie, let me just turn the laptop round and you can talk to her" replied Penny placing the laptop down on the coffee table and picking Marie up and showing her to Amy

"Hi Marie, Mummy and daddy are here" said Amy waving at her daughter, she was greeted by Marie smiling and laughing at the screen and pointing round the room

"Bernadette is coming over with Rose for a couple of hours, as Howard is with his mother helping with her physiotherapy for her leg" said Penny

"Ok, we should be back at about 6 as there has been a change of plans, would you be able to tell Leonard as he is picking us up?

"Of course, hope you both have a good evening" said Penny smiling at her friends, Marie waved goodbye as well and Amy signed off

"Silly question but your mom won't be able to work with a broken wrist, so what will you do now? Asked Sheldon

"It just depends how long she will have to take off, I can always put Marie in nursery for next week, we both cant afford to take time off Sheldon and I have a new study starting next week" said Amy

"Well I have holiday that I need to take, so I will take next week off if necessary" said Sheldon

"Really? The whole week? Marie's a handful you know" said Amy

"I know and I will be able to cope" said Sheldon

Their food arrived shortly afterwards and they tucked in and spent the rest of their evening watching TV in bed with Amy constantly teasing Sheldon by stroking him all over and giving him little kisses, Sheldon felt he was ready to burst and turning his full attention on to Amy, he pulled her up on to her knees and took her bra and top off and fondled her breasts, before sucking on her erect nipples, Amy pulled his boxers down and his erection sprang out and was standing to attention, she was already turned on from Sheldon playing with her breasts, she then pulled Sheldon down on top of her and guided his hands to her wetness, Sheldon was teasing her clit so much that Amy found herself in the same position as Sheldon and on the verge of an orgasm

"Sheldon keep doing that" said Amy lustfully moaning and arching her body towards Sheldon as his fingers continued to do magic inside her, until she came with an explosion of noise and shuddering, Sheldon was fascinated by Amy when she orgasmed, when Amy had finished she slid down Sheldon's body and took his erection fully inside her mouth and sucked until he also orgasmed

Laying back down on the bed, he stroked Amy's face and hair and gazed into he eyes and kissed her again which led to more love making until they were exhausted and fell asleep spooning each other.

Sheldon woke before Amy in the morning and gently kissed her bare shoulders until she woke up and turned her head towards him and greeted him with a lingering kiss

"Good morning Dr Cooper, I can feel and see you are ready for the day" said Amy smiling at her husband and reaching for his erection

"Oh I will be after I have done this" said Sheldon, Amy was still laying with her back to him so he turned her over, kissed her again and then and carried her to the en suite bathroom and placed her down on the edge of the bath whilst he turned the shower on

"I see you can no longer shower alone then Sheldon" said Amy as Sheldon turned back to her

"Well it has room for two people so lets make the most of it" said Sheldon leading her inside and kissing her again

Some time later they were washed and dressed ready for the first speech at 10am, they had already had breakfast and Amy couldn't keep the smile off her face, she was so in love with her husband and she was glad that he was here to support her

By 2pm they were happy to be on the plane going back to LAX and their home, Leonard was at the airport to pick them up and he told them that Barbara would be in plaster for three weeks at the most and that Bernadette had also asked her own childminder if she would take on Marie for three weeks and she had said yes, so that solved a problem for Sheldon and Amy

They arrived home and were greeted by Daisy who was very happy to see her owners and Cassie came bounding in from the garden barking happily at them, Amy petted them for a few moments before seeing that Marie was in her playpen crawling around and gurgling to herself, she broke into a big grin when she saw her parents, Barbara then appeared from the kitchen with her arm in a sling

"Hi mum, sorry about your arm" said Amy

"Oh it's my own fault, I should have been looking were I was going" said Barbara shrugging her shoulders

"Do you want to stay here tonight? Asked Amy

"No its ok, I just wanted to see you were both back ok" said Barbara

"Are you going now or staying for the takeaway? Asked Sheldon

"Staying of course" said Barbara

"Penny thank you for looking after Marie, that reminds me I need to speak to Bernadette about her childminder and meet her with Marie

"That's ok but Amy I hope this wasn't too forward but I invited the childminder over today to meet Marie and they got on well and she is expecting you at her house tomorrow at 8am, she lives in one of the roads behind the university, here is her address" said Penny handing her a piece of paper

"That's great, that solves a lot of things, did you rearrange your appointments? Asked Amy

"Yes I will see them next week, I have to go and see the seamstresses though tomorrow and Leonard is going to mind Archie"

"Oh Amy by the way were you planning on taking Marie to the show Penny is appearing on? Asked Barbara

"Well I was thinking about it, why?

"Well Bernadette is not taking Rose, she doesn't think it would be a good idea to expect a 16 month old to sit quietly in the audience so offered to look after her as I am happy to stay here and watch it on TV if you want to leave Marie"

"Oh yes, I hadn't thought of that" said Amy "I will leave her here then"

The following week Penny received more information from her manager about her appearance on the Craig Ferguson show and also the tickets for her guests, realising that she wouldn't need as many seats after all, Penny sent some back and met Leonard who was giving Penny her early Christmas present of the dogs she wanted at the local Shelter, they picked out two dogs that were in kennels together one of which was a 1 year old female Beagle called Jess and a 2 year old male Jack Russell called appropriately Jack, they took the dogs home and they settled in straight away, even with their friends dogs

_**Ok next chapter will have Penny's appearance on the Craig Ferguson show and Christmas and New Year**_


	9. Chapter 9

Several weeks passed and after Raj and Alex had returned from their Hawaii trip and Raj and Kelly had been for their 12 week scan which confirmed the baby was growing healthily, the doctor was able to confirm that they were having a boy which they were both happy about and they were currently at home discussing names, Raj had not spoken to Kelly about having Indian names yet until he knew what they were having so he decided now would be a good time

"Kelly I wanted to see what you thought of us having an Indian name for the baby?

"That's not a problem, did you have any in mind?

"Yes, well lets look at the website I have open here and next to the names it has the interpretations, this has to be your choice as well, its not all down to me" said Raj moving the laptop so that they could both see

After some time looking through the website, they had a shortlist of three names which they had both agreed on, Ravinder, Vikram and Chandra

"I don't know how we can decide between the three of them" said Kelly

"Well we have another 5 months before we need to make a decision, so lets not worry until then" said Raj patting Kelly's little bump

They had settled into their new house and had only needed to decorate their bedroom as everything else was already done, when they had moved their friends helped them and Raj was going to repay them with a New Years party, he and Kelly sat down with a list of people they wanted to invite and also text Sheldon and Amy if they would have Cinnamon on the night of the party to which they agreed

On December 20th Penny's parents and Sheldon's family were arriving on the same day and their flights were due to land within 20 minutes of each other, both sets of families arrived back at the houses and they had separate family meals before meeting up the following evening at Sheldon and Amy's house to discuss plans for Christmas day, with Sheldon and Amy only having one spare room, Mary and Meemaw had agreed to share the double bed and Missy and George had the two separate rooms in the annexe, Penny's brother had failed to come yet again

"Sheldon as this was your idea, I presume you have a list of what you want people to do? Asked Mary

"Yes and I am about to hand that list out, I would also suggest that Leonard and Penny bring their dining room table over and we can put them together with ours and it will have enough room round it for everybody seeing as they both seat 8 people and that will cover all of the adult guests, the children can go in their high chairs or Penny's lap in Archie's case, also if everybody can bring extra glasses and cutlery" replied Sheldon

"Fine" said Penny

"Ok, Amy and I will be cooking the turkey and potatoes and if you notice on your lists you all have things to cook and bring over" said Sheldon

"By the way to those that are coming tomorrow here are your seating tickets, I have to be there by 6pm for make up and a briefing so I will see you all there" said Penny

"Are you still taking Archie? Asked Amy

"Yes, Claire said that the researchers want me to show him, I'm not sure how well that will go down with Archie though" said Penny looking at her son in the play pen who had recently mastered the art of sitting up without falling down

"Actually Penny do you mind if I don't go, those TV things are awfully loud and if Barbara is staying here to baby sit then I will keep her company" said Meemaw

"Course I don't mind" said Penny smiling at her

"By the way everybody as you know the 24th is our second wedding anniversary and we would like to invite you all to the café where we met for a small celebration" said Sheldon

"How did you manage to wangle that, I thought they were closed Christmas Eve" asked Howard

"Yes they usually are but as like last year I have managed to secure the café for every upcoming December 24th by offering them lots of money" said Sheldon

"Alex and Natasha, I hear you girls are living in Shelley's old apartment now, how's that working out?" asked Mary

"Its good fun Mrs Cooper" replied Alex and Natasha together

"Call me Mary please, I do hope some of you will be joining me for midnight mass?" asked Mary, she got a mixed response which was as much as she could hope for

The group carried on discussing plans for the Christmas week before going their separate ways

The next day Penny met her manager Claire at the studio's where the Craig Ferguson show was being held, she was shown to the make up room where several other guests were also getting their make up done before the floor manager came over and whisked Penny off to her dressing room to talk

"Now Penny, Claire may have told you that everybody is only getting five minutes to talk and that is true but we have saved you for the final 15 minutes and if its ok with you, introduce your baby at the end"

"Nobody knows I am appearing tonight do they?

"If by that you mean the general public, then no but we have been advertising all week that there will be a special guest at the end of the show and I do like your dress by the way" said the floor manager looking at Penny properly for the first time, she realised how glamorous Penny was looking and felt dowdy in her jeans and shirt

"Thank you, you are welcome to come to my store anytime" said Penny smiling at her, the floor manager left after saying that she would be back when it was time for her to go on and a few minutes later Leonard arrived with Archie who was sleeping, they sat on the small sofa together and watched the guests come and go and just before the final break, the floor manager came back and took Penny to the edge of the studio floor, Leonard made his way up to the back row with Archie where all their friends and family were, even his mother had turned up which surprised him

Penny was wearing the same dress as when she and Leonard celebrated their wedding anniversary and the earrings that Leonard had got her, the floor manager indicated that she was about to go on, Penny could hear Craig talking to the audience and making jokes when he stopped and made an announcement

"Ok, my final guest on this fabulous evening has made a success of herself from the fashion world, she was on my show two years ago having just started out and she has been requested by many of you on our forums, please welcome Penny" said Craig

Penny walked confidently onto the stage with whoops and cheers coming from the audience, she knew how good she felt about herself these days and she was happy to be the star of the show if that was what they wanted, she greeted Craig with a kiss on the cheek and quick hug and sat down on her seat waving to everybody and flashing a big smile

"Well Penny it's good to see you, I must say you look fabulous, doesn't she look great? Asked Craig to the audience, who reacted as if Penny was a mega star

"Thank you Craig, that's very sweet of you and it's great to be back here" said Penny

"Now what's been going on with you since you were last on? I know myself obviously but the audience doesn't"

"Ok the last time I was on, I had my own store and we had been open for a couple of months and that has been very successful, in fact it was so successful we expanded into menswear, so we opened another store opposite the one we have already, have you been yet Craig because you remember from last time, I know what looks good on men"

"No I haven't but I would be delighted to, will you be measuring me up? Asked Craig with an innocent smile

"Only if you want me to" said Penny flirting back at him, she leaned forward and patted his hand which caused Craig to blush and the audience to laugh

"I do believe you have given me the first blush I have had on TV" said Craig looking embarrassed, Penny just smiled away as the camera focused on her

"That's not all though is it Penny? Asked Craig getting back on track

"No I also got married and had a baby"

"I can see from the flashes coming from your finger, that's a lovely set of rings you have there, How old is your baby now?

"Archie is 5 months old" said Penny as a picture of him flashed up on the monitors around the studio and the audience awed at the picture

"You don't look like you have given birth recently" said Craig

"Well this figure doesn't come easily, I have a lot of rushing around to do in between my work and the baby" said Penny smiling and flicking her hair

"Archie is here tonight isn't he?

"Yes he is up at the top row with my husband, would you like me to bring him over? Penny knew what the audience wanted and suggested it before it was asked

Craig looked over to the floor manager who nodded and signalled for Leonard to come down with Archie who was wide awake and gawping at everything, Leonard passed Archie to Penny and ran back up the stairs

"Your husband not a fan of the limelight then" said Craig looking amused

"No not really" said Penny with Archie sitting in her lap, Craig reached over to shake the baby's hand and Archie wouldn't let go which made the audience laugh

"What does your husband do?" asked Craig

"He is an experimental physicist at Caltech, don't ask me what that means because I am totally clueless" said Penny shrugging her shoulders

Archie was still holding onto Craig's hand so Craig asked Penny if Archie was good with strangers

"Oh yes, since he was born he's been like that, you can hold him if you like" said Penny standing up and passing Archie to him, Craig tried to carry on with the chat but found himself laughing and unable to do so as Archie was just staring straight at him, so he passed him back to Penny

"So what are the plans for the future, are you planning on doing any more TV work, more babies perhaps?

"I don't know at the moment, I have a lot going on right now and we will have to see but it's been fabulous being back here"

"Well your baby is a credit to you, most kids would get scared of all the noise and lights but he is handling it really well" said Craig

"Thank you" said Penny smiling at Archie

"Well unfortunately that's the end of the show and the end of the very lovely and gorgeous Penny" said Craig to the camera, he smiled at Penny and they had a quick hug before sitting back down whilst the credits were rolling and they were able to walk backstage where Penny introduced Leonard to Craig and they shook hands, Leonard took Archie back off Penny and put him in the pushchair

Penny went back to the make up room to have the make up removed when Amy and Natasha appeared in the doorway

"Penny you were fabulous, you are trending on twitter by the way" said Natasha showing her

"That is too funny" said Penny as Claire also walked in

"Penny you and you friends have been invited to the backstage party if you want to go" said Claire

"Oh maybe for a few minutes then" said Penny walking out of the make up room, she found Kelly and Raj there as well

"Penny thanks for the tickets tonight, that was so good, we are going back now as Kelly is feeling tired and if you and Leonard want to stay we can take Archie back and drop him at Sheldon and Amy's" said Raj

"Thanks that will be good, where is Leonard by the way" asked Penny

"He is chatting with Sheldon and your friend Craig" said Natasha

In the end everybody went to the party and stayed for an hour and by the time they left it was nearing midnight, they went out to the car park and Penny was surprised to be greeted with cheers from behind some barriers, looking up she saw around 100 people calling her name

"Penny they want to see you, they have been here since the show ended" said Natasha

"What am I supposed to do? Asked Penny

"Just go over and talk to them and give them an autograph if they want it" said Natasha

"Ok come with me will you" said Penny to Natasha

Penny walked over to them and for the next 30 minutes, signed autographs and chatted with the fans and had pictures taken, the press had also heard that Penny was there and were taking pictures as well before she made her way back to the car

"That was surreal" said Penny as Leonard started the car, her friends had waited with her and were leaving in their own cars

"You know you will probably be in the gossip pages in the papers tomorrow" said Leonard

"Oh let them talk, I have no skeletons" said Penny happily and waving to everybody as they drove past the barriers

They arrived back at their own house shortly after 1am and Penny's mother had text her to say they had Archie and he was sleeping, they were also pleased to hear that Beverley had joined them and was sleeping in the annexe.

_**Ok Christmas and New Year will be in the next chapter, there needs to be a bit of separation between the two**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**Smut Alert!**_

_**Hope people are enjoying the story**_

The day after Penny's appearance on the show, the guys including Wyatt all decided to go paint balling in the afternoon, all the ladies, minus Natasha and Alex who were working at the store on the last day before they closed for Christmas, gathered at Amy's house to have lunch and were discussing the stories that had appeared in the newspaper and gossip websites about Penny's appearance on the Craig Ferguson show, there had been a lot of positive reviews and the viewing figures for the show went up quite a lot when Penny was announced

Her manager Claire had already rung her twice with offers for magazine interviews which Penny turned down much to the surprise of her friends

"By the way Amy, Howard and I wont be able to come for dinner, between his mom and my parents we have to find a way to see them as well, so we will come in the evening if that's ok, but at least we can celebrate your anniversary with you tomorrow" said Bernadette

"Hey don't worry about it, we will still see you both on the day and that's what matters" replied Amy

Rose who had been playing in the garden, came running into the dining room calling her mother, at 16 months she was very talkative, even if some of it didn't make sense

"Mama, want drink" said Rose holding her arms out to Bernadette wanting to be picked up, Bernie passed her drink over and picked her up and placed her on her lap but then she wanted to get back down again and demanded that Amy pick her up

"Golly she's heavy to pick up now" said Amy "By the way I have booked a week away in February for Sheldon and I as like an anniversary present to him"

"Where are you going and are you taking Marie? Asked Penny

"No Marie is having her own holiday with her grandma in Texas and Sheldon and I will be going back to Alaska, we both liked it a lot last time and promised ourselves we would go back"

"Does Sheldon know this or is it a surprise? Asked Bernie

"It's a surprise, I was planning on taking Marie when Mary and Meemaw suggested taking her and Missy and George offered to help as well so I thought why not take the opportunity you know"

"That's a really nice thing to do Amy, maybe I will surprise Leonard with a trip for his birthday" replied Penny looking at her mom for a hint

"Ok yes we can have Archie, it will be nice" said Hannah

"You know Sheldon and I were talking last time we were in Alaska how good it would be if all our friends go, why don't we do that instead and especially if relatives are willing to have the children, it doesn't have to be a week we go for, maybe a long weekend but there are so many good things to do there" said Amy

"Ok but February is a bit soon, you can still go then with Sheldon but maybe later in the year we can all go together and also Kelly will be like 7 months pregnant and unable to fly and probably unable to enjoy it as much as she would like" said Penny

"Oh yes I forgot, sorry about that" said Amy patting Kelly's bump

"Seeing as the guys are all out having fun, why don't we take a walk with all the dogs? Asked Missy

"That sounds like fun but I would rather stay here" Mary not looking enthusiastic

"Actually I will stay here as well, I need a little nap" said Meemaw

The rest of the group gathered up the children and dogs and left to go to the local dog park, stopping at Kelly's house to pick up Cinnamon, when they got there Missy and Bernadette took Rose and Marie to the swings in the children's park next door and left Amy, Penny and Kelly to watch their dogs, since Penny had bought Jess and Jack into the group they had got on well with Daisy and Cassie, Cinnamon who was the smallest of all the dogs was also getting on well which was good as all the dogs would be staying at Amy and Sheldon's house on New Years eve

On the way back they saw the guys arriving back from Paintball looking pretty happy with Sheldon announcing that they had won and that Wyatt was their star player.

The next day was Sheldon and Amy's second anniversary of their wedding and they were still in bed, having greeted each other upon waking with a lingering kiss, they were now laying in bed talking and Amy especially had something she wanted to discuss with Sheldon, propping herself up on her side and kissing him again she brought the subject up

"You know I said I wanted to wait a year before we think about having another child" said Amy

"Yes, have you changed your mind? Asked Sheldon

"Kind of, I am 33 now and if I wait to long, then by the time we are ready for baby number two and later on number three, it might be too late, so if you are ready then I am" said Amy

"Ok, I take it we can start trying straight away then" said Sheldon moving Amy closer towards him and kissing her, Amy responded by wrapping her legs round his and flicking his nipples which Sheldon liked

"Yes, also I think we should keep this to ourselves for now and I also think we should wait till everybody has gone, your mother and meemaw are in the room next door, I don't think you want them to hear everything!" said Amy

"That's true, would you like your anniversary present now or later?

"Oohh now I think" said Amy

Sheldon got out of bed and walked towards his wardrobe and pulled out little box and came back with it and gave it to Amy, she opened the box and found a gold locket chain and inside the locket was a picture of Sheldon with Marie

"Sheldon its beautiful thank you, can you put it on me? Said Amy turning round, Sheldon put the locket on and then started to kiss Amy's shoulders, causing her to shiver in lust for him, turning back round she pulled Sheldon down onto her and they cuddled and kissed for a few minutes

"You know Amy, I can make sure that we have the house to ourselves this afternoon" said Sheldon

"How are you going to do that?

"I have my ways, I can be very persuasive especially when I want something" said Sheldon kissing Amy again

"OK" said Amy when she came up for air "My gift to you is a trip back to Alaska in February for a week, how does that sound"

"Amy that's wonderful, are we taking Marie?

"No your family will have her, it was your mom's suggestion as I was all set to take her with us"

Sheldon was about to respond when there was a knock on the door

"Come in" said Amy covering her and Sheldon up with the duvet, Missy poked her head round the door and announced that breakfast would be ready shortly and that Marie was downstairs in her play pen, they quickly got dressed and made their way downstairs to the dining room where Mary, Meemaw, Missy and George were

"Morning Shelley did you sleep well? Asked Mary

"Yes thank you mom"

"Good now I haven't got an actual physical gift for you but I have done something for you instead, wait here a moment" said Mary walking towards the living room, leaving Amy and Sheldon looking at each other puzzled, Mary came back with Marie not in her arms but Marie was walking towards them, albeit with Mary holding onto her hands

"Oh Mary how did you get her to do that? She usually bats my hands away when I try that with her" said Amy watching her daughter still walking

"Oh just a little practice my dear, Sheldon and Missy were walking at about the same age with the way I am doing it now for Marie, so I thought I would try" said Mary

"Can she walk without holding onto anybody? Asked Sheldon

"Not yet but you just need to practice" said Mary

"Oh good" replied Sheldon bending down and picking his daughter up and kissing her on the cheek, Marie responded by yelling a lot of nonsense and wanted to be put down on the floor, once there she crawled over to where Daisy was sleeping in her bed and lay down next to her

"Well ain't that sweet" said Mary

"Ok breakfast is ready" said Meemaw

"By the way Shelley, we know today is your anniversary and that probably means you two would like some alone time, so after the party at the café, we will go next door and spend time there" said Missy once they were sat down eating

"Are you sure? Asked Sheldon

"Yes, Penny told me what happened in May at your other anniversary" said Missy smirking at her brother

"Missy don't talk like that, you know I don't like it" said Mary

"Mom how do you think they got Marie then" said Missy

"I am well aware but I just don't like to hear about it"

"Well thank you anyway" said Amy trying to defuse the tension

"Amy darlin, I hope you and Sheldon have a lovely anniversary, also getting Marie to walk wasn't my only gift to you" said Mary handing over an envelope which contained open flights to Texas for whenever they wanted to come

"Thank you mom, we will definitely be coming for a holiday at some point next year" said Sheldon hugging his mom

Later on everybody was ready to go to the Café, Sheldon had booked it from 2pm which was the time of when they got married, they had stayed back at the house so they were the last to arrive, Amy was wearing the white dress she had bought from Penny's store and Sheldon was wearing his grey suit again, they were waiting for Missy to text them that everybody had arrived and were currently in the kitchen

"Amy you know I am not comfortable with public speeches so I will say this here, but thank you for marrying me and making me very happy and thank you for Marie, I love you more each day" said Sheldon, Amy couldn't respond and just nodded, they just cuddled and kissed for a few minutes

"You know what I would rather do" said Amy leaning into Sheldon and kissing him again

"You may have to tell me because I have no idea" said Sheldon pretending

"Well it involves going upstairs and having fun time but I guess we can wait a couple of hours" said Amy

"You might be able to but I cant resist you" said Sheldon as his phone beeped, they walked out of the house and as the café was only at the end of their road, they walked hand in hand to the café, Sheldon had already been there that day to check that everything was ok and they arrived to a full café of their family and friends, Sheldon had paid for everybody to have a complimentary glass of champagne and if they wanted more they would have to pay for it

"I would like to say the same thing I said at our other anniversaries, thank you for coming to celebrate this special day with my beautiful wife and I and our lovely daughter Marie" said Sheldon raising his glass to Amy

The café had provided a starter and a main meal for everybody and everybody left at 5pm, which is what the café owners had agreed to

Sheldon and Amy found themselves back at the house alone and in no time at all found themselves in bed

"Sheldon that was a lovely celebration with our friends, thank you for a lovely day" said Amy

"Your welcome, I am now about to make it even better for you" replied Sheldon

"Oh hang on a moment, let me just get something" said Amy leaving the bed and going downstairs, she returned with a bucket of champagne and two glasses

"Good idea" said Sheldon

"There is something I would like to do" said Amy taking some ice from the bucket she rubbed it over Sheldon's chest area and then she started to lick it off, this made Sheldon groan, then she rubbed it over his erection, Sheldon was now panting in lust for Amy as she licked the ice from his erection

"Amy that feels so good" said Sheldon

"You can do the same for me then" said Amy and passing him the ice, Sheldon rubbed it over her nipples and then sucked them while he teased her wetness down below with his erection, Amy pulled his head up and kissed Sheldon and pulled him on top her, she could feel Sheldon teasing her clit with his erection and wanted him to be inside her so much

"Sheldon make love to me now" said Amy arching her body upwards as she felt his erection brush against her clit again, he responded by pushing deeper into her with Amy crying out in lust for him, they continued kissing while Sheldon thrust into her and they enjoyed each others bodies, some time later after they had finished, they were laying in bed cuddling

"You know Amy that could have been the start of making our next baby" said Sheldon

"Oh maybe, imagine that" said Amy kissing him again, "Come on we better get showered and dressed so everybody can come back and we have to go to midnight mass remember"

"How could I forget" said Sheldon

"Look I know you don't like going but it pleases your mother and as I say every time, you just being there is something" said Amy

A few minutes later they were showered and dressed and made their way back downstairs and found that everybody had returned and set out snacks, nobody was that hungry after all the food at the café but they played a few games of scrabble until it was time for midnight mass

The next day Sheldon and Amy woke to the smell of cooking from the kitchen

"That smells like turkey, who is cooking that now? Asked Amy

"That will be mom and meemaw, they told me last night they would start to help out and that you and I could have a lie in" said Sheldon

"Well after Marie woke up twice in the middle of night and you pretended you didn't hear her, I think I deserve a lie in" said Amy

"Hey I was sleeping, I can't help it if you have bionic ears" said Sheldon

"Bionic ears? Are you drunk? Asked Amy

"No it was just a joke, come here" said Sheldon rolling Amy on top of him and then kissing her, they were interrupted by a banging on the door and then the door opening with Marie standing in the open door way and then flopping down on the floor, she went to get up and was knocked down by Daisy charging up the stairs and jumping onto the bed and landing on both Sheldon and Amy

"Daisy get down" said Amy trying to push her off

"How did Marie get up alone? Asked Sheldon

"Sorry that would be me being mischievous" said Missy suddenly appearing and picking Marie up and putting her on the bed, she immediately cuddled up to Daisy and then got down off the bed and crawled towards the door

"You know Missy the gate at the bottom of the stairs is to stop the dogs coming up" said Sheldon

"Yes I know I forgot, sorry" said Missy as George appeared having chased Cassie up the stairs

"Seeing as you two are still in bed, do you want me to take these for a walk? Asked George

"Yes please and Missy can you just take Marie and put her in the highchair, I will be down in a minute" said Amy as Daisy heard the word walk and jumped off the bed and followed George downstairs

By 1pm, everybody that was coming for dinner had arrived which included Beverley, with all the food and Sheldon with help from Wyatt, Raj, George and Leonard had managed to carry the large table round from Leonard's house, though they discovered it would be quicker by taking it through the dining room garden patio doors and taking the garden fence panels down and back into Sheldon's house the same way it left Leonard's house

Meemaw and Mary dressed the table, while Natasha and Alex poured everybody drinks, some of the food was left in Penny's oven to keep warm until it was ready to be served and soon it was time to eat, the food was laid out in dishes, buffet style with a choice of meats including turkey, beef and pork which suited everybody, then Mary made everybody say grace before eating and they tucked in.

After dinner and pudding, the rest of the day was spent playing board games, Marie and Archie both slept for a few hours in the afternoon which gave the parents a break and then at 6pm Howard and Bernadette arrived with Rose and then everybody exchanged presents and they spoke of arranging a group trip to Alaska in the future, at the end of the evening Bernadette made an announcement

"Howard and I are pleased to tell you that Rose will be getting a brother or sister" said Bernadette looking happy

"Congratulations, how far gone are you? Asked Amy

"6 weeks, we were going to wait a bit before telling people but you guys are our closest friends and we couldn't hide that sort of news" said Bernadette

"I think this calls for a little toast" said Leonard pouring more champagne for everybody except for Bernadette and Kelly

"Bernie seeing as you are here, would you be my birthing partner? Raj will be there obviously but I am allowed another person" asked Kelly

"Of course, I have never been anybody's birthing partner and I know Amy and Penny did it for each other, thank you for asking" said Bernadette

"Well I have no family here in California and feel that you guys are the next best thing" said Kelly

The remainder of the evening passed with more games and it was agreed that the next day Penny and Leonard would host the day which meant another struggle taking both tables next door, once everybody had gone back home, Sheldon and Amy retired to bed and were talking

"You know Amy I am pleased for Howard and Bernadette but I hope we are next" said Sheldon

"Me too and we will just have to keep trying until we are successful" said Amy

"I think we will have a lot of fun practising then" said Sheldon kissing his wife

"That is guaranteed" smiled Amy

_**Next chapter up soon**_


	11. Chapter 11

The days in between Christmas and New Year passed quickly, Penny who had closed her store the previous year for the whole of Christmas had decided to plan carefully this year and had opened back on the 27th December with a 20% off everything sale, the only other day that the store would be closed would be New Years day and she had clients requesting personal shopper services on the same day, she had also after discussion with Raj given her staff an incentive to work by paying them double their weekly wage

It was now the day of the New Years Eve party and Penny had taken all the ladies in the group to her store and fitted them with dresses of their choice, the men had decided to hire tuxes for the evening and now everybody was back home getting ready, Raj had sent out invitations for people to arrive at 8pm the only one of the group not going to the party was Alex as she went to see her parents in Malibu

Mary, Meemaw and Hannah were going to the party but they had decided not to stay for the whole evening and instead offered to take the children back to Sheldon and Amy's house when they left the party, the offer was accepted with great enthusiasm

Raj and Kelly were setting up their house with decorations and they had hired caterers and waiters for the evening, the garden had also been lit up to encourage people out and Raj also hired a DJ for the night

Sheldon and Amy were now dressed and in Marie's bedroom, Marie who had just been fed and bathed by Missy was now dressed in a pretty pink dress which she kept trying to take off

"I hope she's going to be ok with all the people and the noise tonight" said Amy

"Course she will be, you worry too much sometimes, in any case she will probably fall asleep early" replied Sheldon picking his daughter up and tickling her, this caused Marie to giggle and ask for more, though instead of incoherent babbling noises it was very clear

"Daddy more tiggle" came from Marie leaving Sheldon and Amy staring in surprise at their daughter

"Wow walking and talking in the same week, that's good" said Amy cuddling her daughter

"Well as my mom said the other day, Missy and I were quick to walk and talk so maybe that's what this is" said Sheldon

"Maybe, though Rose was talking early as well" replied Amy

"Oh yes, come on its time to go" said Sheldon leading Amy and Marie downstairs to the lounge where his family were waiting for him

"Daddy more tiggle" said Marie again to the room

"I think somebody is just showing off now" said Sheldon tickling his daughter again and then strapping her in to the pushchair

They left the house and waited outside Leonard and Penny's house for them to leave and walked down the road together to Raj and Kelly's house where they were greeted at the door by Raj dressed in a tux

"Wow Raj don't you look lovely" said Mary

"Thank you Mrs Cooper" said Raj standing aside and letting everybody in

"Have you got many people coming? Asked Leonard

"Not loads, but it will be a full house, you guys are not the first to arrive though" replied Raj as he led them in to the dining room, they could see some people that worked at the University, Stuart and his cousin Dale were also there talking to some of the guys from the Comic book store

"Just help yourselves to drink and the waiters will provide you with anything you don't have" said Kelly

"Yeah the DJ is taking requests as well" said Raj disappearing off to answer the door again, Amy looked at Marie in her pushchair and realised the short walk had sent her off to sleep, so she covered her with a blanket and left her in the care of Barbara as she went off to get a drink, Sheldon had already disappeared with Leonard as they had just spotted Will Wheaton coming in and went off to talk to him

Amy, Penny and Natasha were at the drinks table in the lounge pouring themselves some of the punch and talking when Bernadette appeared

"Hi Bernie how are you doing? Asked Amy

"Oh ok, I have been throwing up all day, it wasn't like this with Rose, I only had a little bit with her" replied Bernadette looking peaky again

"Did you bring Rose by the way? Asked Amy

"Yes Howard has taken her into the garden so she can run around and burn off some energy, I tell you she doesn't stop" said Bernadette wearily

"We have that to look forward to Penny" said Amy

"Great" said Penny

"Natasha how come Mark isn't here tonight? Asked Bernie

"Oh he had his own family party to attend to" replied Natasha

"You didn't want to go with him? Asked Amy

"No, we are going to see each other tomorrow instead" replied Natasha

Just then Sheldon and Leonard reappeared with Will Wheaton and they all took beers from the selection provided

"Hi Ladies, you all look lovely by the way" said Will

"Thanks, is your wife here tonight with you? Asked Amy

"No I am only staying for an hour, we are hosting our own party and Stuart asked me to come here, you guys are welcome to come if you like, Brent Spiner will be there" replied Will

"Maybe another time, we cant leave Raj's party" said Leonard, Will just shrugged his shoulders and carried on talking

"Sheldon do you want to dance with me" asked Amy taking Sheldon's hand, in the lounge all the furniture had been pushed back to make room for dancing

"You know I don't really like dancing but for you just a little bit, then maybe more later" said Sheldon

"Oh you will dance with me later" said Amy kissing him then she noticed Stuart watching her from the other side room, she gave him a brief smile and carried on dancing before Sheldon went off to talk with the guys, Penny however had missed nothing

"Amy you know Stuart is watching your every move" asked Penny

"Yes I know, I am not worried though" said Amy as Marie woke up crying, this also woke Archie so Penny and Amy took the babies into the kitchen and gave them their bottles before they both went back to sleep and Penny brought Stuart up again

"Just make sure you are not left alone with him, I walked past him just before and he stank of booze" said Penny

"Hello Amy" said Stuart as he walked into the kitchen

"Hi, how are you?

"Oh yes fine, I see you are all happy and settled down" Stuart was slurring and standing far to close to Amy for her comfort. "You know you just used me to get what you really wanted" said Stuart again

"What are you talking about? Asked Amy

"You only went out with me so you could get Sheldon to formalise your relationship, he would never of done that if I hadn't asked you" said Stuart

"That's not true" protested Amy

"Course it is, as soon as he appeared in the cinema and asked you there was no hesitation"

"Well I don't know what to tell you" said Amy walking away with Penny from him, Stuart tried to go after her and skidded on a discarded food carton and fell over, this however did not deter him from trying to talk to Amy, Penny had other ideas and picked him up and dragged him out to the garden and pushed him out much to the astonishment of Sheldon and Leonard who were talking

"Stuart maybe you should go home, you will only embarrasses yourself and regret this" said Penny

"What's going on? Asked Leonard

"Stuarts just a little drunk and now he's going home aren't you" said Penny

"No I am not, I want a Christmas kiss from Amy, she owes me"

"Stuart I owe you nothing, I went out with you because I thought you were nice but that doesn't mean I wanted anything more with you" said Amy

"I still don't believe that you didn't use me though" said Stuart

"Believe what you like, I don't care" said Amy going back inside with Sheldon

"What was that about? Asked Sheldon

"Nothing just Stuart being jealous that's all" replied Amy

"Amy you would tell me if something else was going on? Asked Sheldon

"Yes but nothing is going on and look he's going now so it doesn't matter" said Amy as Stuart was led out of the house by Dale

"Amy, we are going back to the house now" said Mary

"Ok are you sure you are all happy about taking the kids? Asked Amy

"Yes absolutely, you guys have fun" said Mary as Hannah appeared with Archie, Barbara had Rose who had finally worn herself out and Meemaw took Marie

"Ok, happy new year to you all" said Amy kissing her daughter

"At least we can relax and enjoy the party without having to worry about children" said Sheldon

"That's true" said Amy "Come on lets dance again" said Amy

The party continued on into the night and by 1130 the DJ was still taking requests and Amy had just requested Sheldon and hers wedding song which was Bryan Adams, Everything I do for you and was waiting for it to be played

"And now we have something for all the couples to get romantic about, this one is for Sheldon, Amy says she loves you very much" said the DJ as their song started up

Sheldon and Amy were slow dancing to their song and not caring who was watching them, were swaying along and kissing, the same song brought all the other couples on to the floor and their song was followed by more love songs until the music was cut off and the TV put on for the New Year countdown, as soon as the first tick of 2016 came on, everybody was cheering and kissing each other and blowing party poppers

"OK everybody in the garden, I have provided for fireworks to go off just after midnight" said Raj as everybody rushed out to the garden

Sheldon and Amy found they were the only ones left in the house so had their own private celebration for the new year, clinking glasses and cuddling

"Happy new year Sheldon, lets hope this one brings us good things" said Amy

"Same to you Amy" said Sheldon kissing his wife and continuing to do so until Penny ran back and told them they were missing the fireworks so they went outside to watch

"I would like to thank everybody for coming tonight, I already know this year is going to be brilliant though" said Raj holding Kelly close to him

After the fireworks had finished everybody went back inside and the DJ started the music back up and went back to playing party songs interspersed with the occasional love song request

By 3am the only people left at the party were the immediate friends and apart from Kelly and Bernadette were currently very tipsy, the caterers and waiters had long gone, leaving behind the remaining food and drink

"Amy could I have the pleasure of dancing with you? Asked George

"Sure why not" said Amy taking Georges hand and dancing with him, this led to the friends swapping dance partners and Sheldon found himself dancing with Bernadette which was awkwardly funny due to their height difference

At 4am it was decided that everybody would leave and Bernadette announced that she and Howard would have an open house the next day for people to come over if they felt like it and Raj decided he would have a New Years party every year


	12. Chapter 12

_**Ok, I had to repost the chapter as I realised I made an error, this has been corrected**_

New Years day for some of the friends turned into a day of rest as the grandparents realised that the parents needed to sleep off hangovers so took the Children and animals out to the park. Bernadette had abandoned her plan of having an open house and joined them with Rose, leaving Howard in bed, Sheldon and Amy only woke at 2pm in the afternoon both slightly hung over and hungry

"Last night was good hey Amy" asked Sheldon who was awake but hadn't opened his eyes

"Oh yes, what time is it anyway?" asked Amy struggling to look at the clock

"Late probably, anyway Mom said to me yesterday she and Meemaw would take Marie out for the afternoon, so I presume that's what they have done as it seems very quiet"

"That was nice, but I think we better get up, I don't want them to think we are taking advantage" said Amy

"I would like to take advantage of you right now Amy but I don't think I have the energy" said Sheldon

"Maybe later then" said Amy cuddling up to her husband and kissing him

"Come on let's go down and find something to eat" said Sheldon

"Shower first I think" said Amy

Once dressed they went downstairs and found Missy curled up on the couch, sipping a cup of tea with a blanket covering her

"You ok Missy? Asked Amy noticing Missy was very pale

"Not really, I think I ate something that disagreed with me because I didn't drink that much, George was still asleep when I left the annexe 10 minutes ago"

"Missy I saw you drink a bottle of wine by yourself and that was just after we got there, so you were probably as drunk as the rest of us" replied Sheldon

"Oh look its Mr Eidetic Memory" said Missy sarcastically

"Either of you two want anything to eat? Asked Amy

"Yes please" said Sheldon as Missy shook her head

As Amy was preparing a quick snack for herself and Sheldon, Mary and Meemaw arrived back with Marie and the dogs

"Mary thank you for taking care of Marie today, that was a big help and I hope you don't think we are taking advantage" said Amy

"Of course your not, living so far away from my granddaughter means I want to spend as much as I can with her" said Mary lifting Marie out of the pushchair and cuddling her

"Do you fancy a cup of tea? Sheldon and I were just having one?

"Oh yes please, are Missy and George up yet? Asked Mary

"Missy is in the lounge feeling ill and George is still sleeping" replied Sheldon

"As tomorrow is your last day here is there anything you would like to do? Asked Amy

"Just being here with my family is good enough for me" said Mary

_**Everybody returned to work **_on the 5th of January and several of the group found that they had been requested to have meetings with President Siebert, Howard was the first one to be seen

"Howard, I trust you had a good Christmas and New Year?

"Yes thank you and yourself?

"Good, now you will probably want to know the purpose of this meeting but first of all when you made the Waste Disposal System for the space station did you make a spare?

"Yes everything I make I double up on, why?

"The current one is due to be replaced and you will be going up in the next mission with your spare one that you made"

"Oh no, please don't put me through that again" said Howard

"What do you mean?

"Last time, I ended up staying for longer than necessary and I hated it"

"This time you will only be there for a week maximum"

"When is the next mission? Asked Howard

"At the end of February, you will also need to go a training course like you did last time, all the details will be sent to you in due course, you can go now" said Siebert dismissing Howard

The next people in were Amy, Sheldon and Leonard

"Good morning to you all, now the reason for this meeting is something that you bought up a while ago Dr Fowler, we didn't have the funds at the time but now we can implement it"

"What idea was that? Asked Amy trying to rack her brains

"The one where you go to schools of kids under 10 and teach them a little about the sciences, do some experiments for them and try to encourage them, all three of you are excellent at talking about your work and Dr Fowler the last conference you went to, people were talking about how good you were"

"Really?

"Yes, now we will be starting you off at one afternoon a week and if it goes well then maybe two days a week, I know you have families and I will take that into account" said Siebert

"When does this start? Asked Leonard

"The second week of February, I already received your emails requesting holiday for the first week so that's why it's starting afterwards" said Siebert to Sheldon and Amy

"Ok thank you" said Amy

"Ok good you can all go"

Once outside Amy took Leonard and Sheldon to her office to apologise for roping them into it

"Amy actually I think I will enjoy teaching little kids, it's the older ones that scare me" said Leonard

"What about you Sheldon?

"I have no problems with it Amy and Siebert was right about one thing though, you rocked that Neuroscience conference" replied Sheldon

"Thank you"

Penny had her own things to deal with as her manager Claire phoned her up saying that OK magazine wanted to do a full several page spread of her at her stores and then at home with Leonard and Archie, they were also offering a lot of money

"Claire it's not about the money, it's about trying to maintain my privacy"

"Take the money and give it to a Charity of your choice then, making sure that the magazine prints that the money is going to Charity and you can choose whether or not you bring them to your house"

"Let me think about it, I need to talk to Leonard as well" said Penny

"Ok but they told me earlier that if you want to do it then you have until the end of the week to say yes otherwise the spread will miss the deadline for next weeks issue"

"I will call you tomorrow with an answer" said Penny

Later on back home at Bernadette and Howard's house, he was fretting about how to tell her he had to go to space again, he waited until Rose had gone to bed before bringing the subject up

"Bernie can you sit down a moment, I need to talk to you"

"What's the matter?

"President Siebert told me today that I will be going to space again, this time at the end of February, I will be gone for a week only thankfully"

"Why do you have to go?

"To fit the new waste disposal system, I'm not happy about leaving you so soon into your pregnancy and Rose"

"Howie we will be fine, this is your career and it's important to you" replied Bernadette

"Thank you, I just have to tell my mother now" said Howard

"Well at least this time you know what it will be like and hopefully you won't have any bullies"

Penny and Leonard spent most of the evening talking about the magazine spread and Penny was glad that Leonard was not happy about it, so they both rejected the idea

The same week, Amy was at home alone in the evening and Sheldon was working late at the University with Leonard when there was a knock at the door, going to the door she saw Stuart there, she called Daisy to her side, clipped her lead on her harness and opened the door, showing Stuart that she wasn't scared of him and told Stuart to go away only for him to offer his apologies for his behaviour at the party

"Amy I am so sorry, Dale told me what I said and I can only remember bits of it"

"So you didn't mean what you said then because usually when alcohol is involved the truth comes out" said Amy

"Some of it may have been true but I was still wrong to speak to you like that, your not going to set your dog on me are you? Said Stuart edging away as Daisy started to bare her teeth at him

"No she is here for protection in case you tried something stupid" said Amy

"What's going on? Asked Penny having heard them talking from her bedroom she was now in her own garden looking over the fence

"Stuart was giving me an apology though he meant what he said but didn't mean to tell me, if that makes any sense" said Amy

"Amy I will go and I hope we can forget about this" said Stuart as he walked off down the garden and out the gate

"Do you want to come over? Asked Amy to Penny

"Yes why not, let me just get Archie" said Penny

_**4 weeks later**_

Amy and Sheldon were on the last day of their trip to Alaska and it was early morning, Amy was currently in the en suite bathroom throwing up, being that this was the second day running it had happened she realised that she had missed her monthly cycle for January, she and Sheldon had been trying for baby number two and she hoped that she was pregnant, once she finished being sick, she went brushed her teeth and went back to the bedroom and woke Sheldon up

"Sheldon I think our plan to have another baby has worked" said Amy excitedly

"How do you know? Have you taken a test? Asked Sheldon

"No but the last two mornings I have been sick and my cycle didn't happen so that's how I think its worked, I can get a test though"

"There isn't a pharmacy anywhere until we get back to Anchorage, unless they have a doctors office in the hotel?" said Sheldon

"I can always ask reception" replied Amy

"Go on then"

Amy rung reception and was told they could get a doctor in but for emergencies only

"We will be back home tomorrow, do you think you can wait until then? Asked Sheldon

"Yes but I hope that we are pregnant" said Amy

"I agree, come back to bed for a little while, its still early" said Sheldon, Amy got back into bed with him and he pulled her closer to him and kissed her, this led to more kissing and soon they were making love not in their usual slow way but in a frantic I must have you now way

"Well if I wasn't pregnant before, I probably am after that" said Amy afterwards as she and Sheldon lay back in bed cuddling

"True, come on we need to get up and dressed and packed and ready to leave" said Sheldon

"Its only 8am and our flight is not until 4" said Amy

"Yes I know but I would still like to get to the airport on time and I don't think we should mention the pregnancy to anybody until we get it confirmed" said Sheldon

"Ok"

The next day they arrived back home in Pasadena after flying to Texas and picking up Marie who Mary said was fine during their trip away, Amy stopped at a pharmacy on the drive back from LAX and after settling Marie into bed and collecting the dogs from Leonard and Penny, Amy went to the en suite bathroom and took the test, she had bought three just in case and used all three, she and Sheldon were currently in the bedroom sitting on the bed holding hands and waiting the allotted time to pass for them to know the result.

"Sheldon 3 minutes must of passed by now? Asked Amy

"Yes but I am just as nervous about this as you" said Sheldon

"Oh lets just look" said Amy looking at the tests "All three say positive!" said Amy jumping up and down with happiness and cuddling Sheldon

"Brilliant news" said Sheldon beaming

"Ok I think we should wait until we are a bit further along before we tell anybody, If I was to guess then I am probably about 4 weeks" said Amy

"We can start thinking of names soon as well then" said Sheldon

"Yes but as I really wanted Marie, you can choose this time" replied Amy

"Thank you but I want us both to have a say in this" said Sheldon

"Ok, I will book a doctors appointment in the morning just to get everything confirmed" said Amy

"Sure, also I take it we will be having a birthday party for Marie's first birthday?

"Oh yes, actually you know by the time her birthday comes around I will be about 7 weeks pregnant and it might be ok to tell people then, make it a double celebration"

"Ok, have you got everything ready for the school visit tomorrow?

"Yes, I made sure Grace got everything set up for me as she is coming as well"

The next day at the school, the three scientists discovered that the children were all very enthused by the work they did, especially so when Amy started cutting into a human brain, the children came closer to her to watch

Over the next few days, Amy had more morning sickness and after a visit to the doctor the pregnancy was confirmed and a scan was booked for the same day, which confirmed that Amy was 5 weeks pregnant, back home Amy realised something

"You know Sheldon as I am 5 weeks then I probably got pregnant on our wedding anniversary or at least as close as because that's when we started trying"

"I am glad that you changed your mind about waiting Amy"

"It made sense to anyway, look its only two weeks till Marie's birthday we need to start organising" said Sheldon

"Do you think your family would fly out again so soon after Christmas?

"I don't see why not, I can always ask them"

Over the next two weeks Amy with help from Penny and Sheldon managed to organise the party, Sheldon's family were coming and Barbara made the birthday cake, Marie was making good progress with trying to walk unaided, sometimes using the sofa to walk round and even using Daisy to hold onto, Sheldon's family were only staying for three days as both Mary and Meemaw had appointments to get back to and Missy and George had work they couldn't miss

The day of the party arrived and their friends minus Howard who was still in space all came, Barbara who was Marie's babysitter had been taking her to a nursery with agreement from Amy and Sheldon twice a week and a couple of the children from there were also invited, Rose and Archie were in the pool being supervised by Raj and Leonard. Kelly was watching from the side of the pool, she was now 7 months pregnant and had a huge bump, she and Raj had also decided on naming the baby Chandra

Everybody was enjoying the food and drink and some were swimming in the pool when Sheldon and Amy brought out Marie's birthday cake, everybody sang happy birthday to Marie who then tried to blow out the candles and more celebrations were had, at the end of the party only the immediate friends and family were left and it was getting close to the children's bedtimes, everybody was in the garden, Amy looked at Sheldon and nodded and then they made their announcement

"Seeing as everybody we love and care about is here, we just wanted you all to know that Bernie and Kelly are not the only ones having a baby" said Amy

"That's great, how far gone are you" asked Penny

"7 weeks so by the end of August, baby Cooper will be here" said Amy

"That will be two babies in born in August then" said Penny

"Yes, imagine if this one is born on Archie's birthday" said Amy laughing

"Well done Amy, I know I doubted you two from the start but this is one occasion where I am glad I was wrong, look at you now, successful career and married with a baby and another on the way" said Barbara hugging her daughter with tears in her eyes

"Shelley I do hope that you will be coming to Texas for Christmas this year, you will be able to show off your beautiful family" said Mary, Sheldon looked at Amy who nodded her agreement

"Of course we will"

"Everybody is invited of course, Penny make sure to ask your parents if they want to come, there can be never be too many you know, your mother as well Leonard" said Mary

"Thanks Mrs Cooper" said Leonard

"Thank you Mrs Cooper I will ask them nearer the time, Amy stand up lets see if you have a bump yet" said Penny

"I don't really have a bump yet" Said Amy standing up and showing off a flat stomach

"Shelley have you thought of any names yet? Asked Missy

"Some but until we know what we are having, there is no point deciding just yet" replied Sheldon as Marie waddled up to him waving her empty bottle then resting her head on Sheldon's lap

"Think somebody is ready for bed" said Amy as she noticed Marie was falling asleep standing up, she started to get up but Meemaw stopped her

"You stay there and I will sort Marie out" said Meemaw taking Marie's hand and walking inside with her

"Are you going to speak to Howard later? Asked Amy

"Yes it's his last day tomorrow and I shall tell him your news" said Bernie

Later on after everybody had left and everything had been cleared away, Sheldon and Amy had retired to bed and were talking about the party and other things

"You know Sheldon I am glad I told everybody today, there has been so many times over the past few weeks when I have just wanted to shout it from the rooftops"

"I know the feeling, ok now we need to get a builder in and see how much it would cost to convert the attic from the one long room it is now to something a bit more special" said Sheldon

"Well there is a lot of space up there, so why don't we make a large bedroom and bathroom and move the office up there and then we will have 4 bedrooms on this floor again" said Amy

"Yes I like that and if we need to in the future, we can put an extension on the back of the house, we have a big and wide enough garden to not worry about losing space" replied Sheldon

"Sure and that was nice of you to agree to go to Texas for Christmas" said Amy

"It pleases my mom and if I just say yes then she won't nag" said Sheldon

"Sure" said Amy yawning

"I can see you are tired, you had a busy few days" said Sheldon leaning over and kissing her

"I feel now how you felt on new year's day, exhausted and too tired to have fun time and I have an early morning meeting as well" said Amy

"Another time perhaps" said Sheldon as Amy snuggled into him and kissed him again

"Good night Sheldon" said Amy falling asleep

_**Chapter 13 up soon**_


	13. Chapter 13

It was a week later after Marie's party and Sheldon's family had returned home and he and Amy had a discussion about boys names and told Amy that if they were having a boy he wanted to name him after Richard after Richard Feynmann which Amy agreed to and that if they were to have a girl they both agreed on Maggie, Sheldon then suggested inviting their friends over for dinner and also to welcome Howard back home safely from space

"Amy and I wanted to talk to you all about the godparents issue, I would be happy not having any of my children christened but it keeps my mother off my case and as Leonard and Penny were Marie's and we are thinking about having at least 3 children we wanted to spread the god parenting duties around" said Sheldon

"How do you mean? Asked Bernie

"Well we haven't actually chosen yet but perhaps hypothetically talking for this one, yourself and Howard and then Raj and Kelly" said Sheldon

"Although to be honest we would trust all of you with our children and that includes Alex and Natasha as well so I hope you don't think we are leaving you out" said Amy

"No I understand, I am godparent to my brothers two sons anyway" said Alex

"Its fine Amy don't worry" said Natasha

"Well as we are talking godparents then and Raj is Rose's, then I would like Amy and Penny for our one and I totally agree with what Amy just said"" said Bernadette

"Right well now that's settled, does anybody fancy couples halo night? Asked Sheldon

"Yeah but I think we should go with different people and not our actual partners seeing as Alex and Natasha are here without partners" said Amy

"Oh you don't want to partner me Amy? Asked Sheldon looking put out

"I partner you every day in every way possible" said Amy kissing him

"Alright you two, enough of that, or get a room" said Penny "I suggest putting names in a hat and drawing them and that way its fair" said Penny again

Within a few minutes everybody was paired up, some were more happy than others though, Penny was with Howard, Natasha & Raj, Kelly & Amy, Sheldon & Bernadette and then Alex & Leonard, they played halo for sometime until the children who were sleeping woke up on mass, needing to have bottles and cuddles with their parents

"Leonard do you happen to know any good builders? Asked Sheldon

"Not really why?

"Amy and I are going to convert the attic space into something more useable and hopefully be finished in time for when the baby arrives"

"I can ask around but just have a look on the internet, I am sure you will find some good ones on there and when you do you can direct them to our house as ours needs doing" said Leonard

A few weeks later, a builder had been found and work had started and by the end of April, Sheldon and Amy had a brand new guest bedroom and en-suite with an office at the end, part of the smallest bedroom which was previously their office was taken over so that the there was room for the staircase to turn up to the attic and the two current spare rooms had the internal walls moved so that they were now both the same size, Amy had decided they would stay in their current room for now and once the children were old enough to be on their own floor they would move upstairs, Leonard and Penny were so impressed with the work that they had the same thing done to their house

It was also during April at their 20 week scan that Bernadette and Howard found that they would be having another girl and had after much discussion chosen the name Rebecca after Rebecca Craighill Lancefield who was a famous microbiologist that Bernadette admired, Bernadette was also finding this pregnancy much easier to handle than when she had Rose, she had constant backache with her and she was hoping that she could carry on to full term

It was now the beginning of May and at 8pm one evening Kelly after just a 3 hour labour had given birth, she had Raj and Bernadette by her side during the birth and she was now staring in awe at her son, they had named him Chandra

"Congrats you two, I'm going to leave you guys in peace for a bit and tell everybody else" said Bernadette

"Thank you for being here Bernie" said Kelly gazing down at her son

"No problems" said Bernie leaving the room

"How are you feeling" said Raj leaning over and kissing the baby on the head

"A bit tired, but I feel like I could do that again right now just to get something so perfect" said Kelly

"You did really well and I only fainted once" said Raj

"Yes, maybe next time you wont, here you can hold him now" said Kelly passing him Chandra

"Ok, but can you take a picture of me with him and I can send it to my family back home" asked Raj

"Sure" said Kelly as she took the picture, Bernadette came back in

"Everybody is very excited for you both, as it is late they said they would come and see you here in the morning unless you get released early" said Bernie

"We will have to see what the doctor says" said Raj

"Ok I have to be off now, but thank you for letting me share this with you" said Bernie rubbing her belly, her own baby was kicking a lot and causing her pain

"You ok Bernadette" asked Raj

"Yes, I will be when I get home and can lie down" replied Bernadette

An hour later, the doctor came back and after checking that Kelly and Chandra were ok, he said they could go home, once they were home Raj text everybody and asked them to come over the following day after Kelly had some rest

The following day after everybody had finished work, they made their way over to Raj and Kelly's house and were introduced to Chandra, Raj celebrated with everybody by opening champagne and said that his parents would be arriving in the next few days to meet their grandson, they were just settling down to have the Chinese that had just arrived when there was a knock at the door, Raj went to answer it and found Priya there

"Hello Raj, I was in town for a few days and couldn't wait to see my nephew" said Priya walking in and seeing everybody

"You remember Priya everyone" said Raj hoping there wouldn't be any tension with her and Leonard

Priya chose to sit down on the sofa next to Leonard who was feeding Archie in his chair

"Priya did you want to hold Chandra? Asked Kelly gingerly getting up and walking towards her with the baby

"Of course, how old is your son Leonard? Asked Priya taking Chandra

"9 months" said Leonard shortly, not wanting to get into a chat with Priya

"Congratulations to you and Penny by the way, I always knew you would end up together" said Priya

"Thanks, must be exciting huh having a new nephew"

"Well especially if it means I can come here and create an atmosphere, I seem to be the only one talking, look you guys I am not here to cause trouble, anyway didn't Raj tell you Sanjay and I got married two years ago?

"No but it doesn't matter to me anyway" said Leonard taking Archie out of the chair and letting him crawl around trying to follow Marie who had been running around the house with Rose

"Priya did you want any food, there is plenty going spare" asked Raj

"No it's ok, I had dinner at the hotel before with Sanjay, I can't stay long as I have to get back, we have early morning meetings but Raj I will be back before I leave town"

"Sure" said Raj as Priya passed Chandra back to him

"I will see myself out" said Priya

"Well that was interesting" said Amy once she had gone

"In what way? Asked Kelly having not heard of the past relationship

"Oh just that Leonard and Priya have history and at the time it caused a lot of upset but it looks like everybody is happy now" said Penny

"Amy do you know what sex your baby is yet? Asked Bernadette

"No we will find out at our 20 week scan at the end of the month" said Amy

"What about names? Asked Kelly

"Richard for a boy or Maggie for a girl" said Sheldon as a squeal could be heard from the hallway, followed by a child crying

"Its ok" said Leonard coming in with Archie in one arm and Rose in his hand "Rose was running and tripped over Cinnamon"

"Howard you will have to see to her, this baby is currently playing aerobics inside me" said Bernadette grimacing and clutching her belly

"Where did Cinnamon go? Asked Raj

"She ran upstairs presumably to hide" replied Leonard

"Oh by the way, I have news regarding Stuart, he told me of his plans a while ago but it was confirmed yesterday but Stuart has sold the Comic Book Store and moved away" said Raj

"Why did he do that? Asked Leonard

"Something to do with personal problems and he needed the money from the sale to start afresh in a new city"

"Did he say where he was going? Asked Sheldon

"No but he did say he will be in touch once he is settled, the store will be reopening in a few weeks under new management though" replied Raj

"Probably wont get a friends and family discount like he used to give though" said Howard

"You will because it was me that bought the store" said Raj, everybody looked at him in surprise except for Kelly who already knew

"Presumably you will get staff in because you already have work and co-sharing Penny's business" said Howard

"Yes of course, I already thought of that and I have a business plan where I don't lose money from it, unlike Stuart" said Raj telling them more about his plans until people had to leave to put children to bed

Back home after putting Archie to bed, Penny was in the lounge relaxing on the sofa when she brought up the subject of Priya

"How did you feel about seeing Priya again?

"Surprised but I have no feelings for her if that's what you mean" replied Leonard

"I suspect it's not the case for her though, I could see the way she was looking at you when you were feeding Archie"

"Penny, you have nothing to worry about, you are the one I love, I have zero interest in her"

"Good because I might have to go all Nebraska on her ass if she tries anything"

"I don't think she will try and anyway she said she was married" said Leonard

"Anyway enough about her, she is not important" said Penny cuddling up to him

"You know you said you wanted lots of children, has the arrival of Chandra and Bernie and Amy being pregnant made you broody? Asked Leonard

"I do want lots of children and I am broody yes but I was thinking about waiting, why are you asking, do you want another one quickly? Asked Penny

"Well I was thinking about it and Archie is roughly the same age now that Marie was when Amy became pregnant again" said Leonard

"Maybe soon we will try but I don't want you to put any pressure on me, we have Archie and the dogs and I am happy as I have been in a long time right now" said Penny

"Ok I hear you"

Meanwhile Raj was on the phone to Priya

"Why on earth did you say you were married to Sanjay when you are not? Asked Raj

"Because I didn't want to seem like I was some sad loser in front of Leonard, especially now he is married to Penny"

"Priya you better not be up to something because I will warn you now, it will only end in disaster for you and I will tell them what you are up to before something starts"

"Raj, I am not planning anything, anyway I was thinking of stopping by the university tomorrow after my meetings"

"Why?"

"Well I didn't get to see much of you tonight, so why don't we have lunch tomorrow?

"Fine but I will be telling Leonard you are coming, I swear to Cow you will be sorry if you try something"

"Goodbye Raj" said Priya hanging up, in truth she had only come to Pasadena to see her nephew but couldn't resist stirring things up

_**Next chapter up shortly**_


	14. Chapter 14

The next day Raj went into work, he was only staying that day as he wanted to see President Siebert to confirm his paternity leave, he had assigned Alex with some tasks and went to find Leonard in his lab to tell him that Priya would be coming to the University that day

"Leonard I just thought you should you know that Priya is not married to Sanjay, she made it up and she also mentioned to me on the phone last night that she will paying a visit her, to be honest I don't trust her not to try anything with you, so I am just warning you now"

"Ok thanks, but why would she lie about being married?

"Because she didn't want to seem like a loser when she appeared in my house yesterday"

"But that's just stupid, Priya and I split up like 5 years ago and I hadn't even thought about her since" replied Leonard

"I know, she said she was coming around lunchtime, is Penny at the store today?

"No, do you think I should invite her here?

"Yes and bring Archie, even Priya wouldn't try anything then, anyway I have to go and see Siebert, see you later"

"Yeah bye"

Leonard text Penny to tell her about Priya coming to the University and asked her to come for lunchtime to which she agreed, starting back on one of his experiments he was working on, there was a sudden knock at the door, looking up he saw that it was Priya

"Hello again Leonard, how are you?

"Fine, what do you want?

"Oh just to catch up with you without everybody around" replied

"Well as you can see I am very busy, if you want to see Raj he is probably in his office"

"It's not Raj I want to see" said Priya coming closer to him and stroking his arm

"May I remind you that I am happily married with a son, so you are wasting your time Priya" Leonard jerked away from Priya and tried to usher her out of the lab but she resisted

"Oh come on you can have a little fun with me, you know we never had closure on our relationship Leonard"

"You know what Priya I never ever thought of you as desperate but I do now" said Leonard sneering at her

"Playing hard to get I see, are you saying that you really don't want to try anything with me, you remember how good it was"

"I already said so didn't I and I knew you would come because Raj told me so you are also very predictable"

"What's going on? Amy appeared in the doorway and saw Leonard edging his way round the lab trying to avoid Priya

"Oh Priya was just leaving, she knows where the door is" said Leonard

"Leonard one day you will regret not giving us another chance" said Priya

"You know Priya I have a feeling that it will be you that will regret you ever stepped foot in this building today" said Leonard noticing that Amy was texting on her phone

"Well you had your chance Leonard, stop trying to deny yourself"

"At the risk of repeating myself its you that's in denial, I have no interest in you Priya so you are wasting your time" said Leonard as Raj appeared in the doorway

"Priya what the hell are you doing? Asked Raj

"Nothing, just having a little chat here with Leonard"

"More like trying to seduce him" said Amy

"Oh who asked for your opinion" said Priya as Raj dragged her out of the office and down to his own

"You are such an idiot Priya, what is the matter with you? Raj was furious with his sister

"Oh don't tell me you never tried to seduce an ex Raj"

"Perhaps but not one that is happily married, you are lucky that it was me that Amy text and not Penny because she would probably be dishing out her own version of revenge right now, you need to leave and don't come back, I don't want to see you right now"

"So dramatic Raj, don't worry I am leaving"

"Good I will escort you off and tell security to not let you in again, you are an embarrassment" said Raj taking Priya by the arm and after stopping with security he stopped to make sure she actually left but going back to Leonard's office where he was in discussion with Amy

"Sorry about that Leonard, she has been banned from the premises" said Raj

"Its not your fault, you must of run from your office after Amy text you"

"Yes I did, are you going to tell Penny about this?

"Yes I just rang her and after the problems we had which caused us to split up I believe openness and honesty will be better than saying nothing" replied Leonard

"I still don't get why she came back here to try and seduce you though" said Raj

"Well its obvious, she wants what she can't have" said Amy

"What did Penny say? Asked Raj hoping there would be no more upsets

"She was very unhappy but she says she wont be going after Priya, as in her words she has better things to do" said Leonard

"Good for her, now I must dash I have to get back to my office, I just happened to be on a break coming back from seeing Sheldon" said Amy waving and leaving the lab

"You really think Penny will do nothing? Asked Raj

"Yes I believe her" said Leonard

Penny meanwhile was at home with Archie having just heard what Leonard had told her and she was furious, deciding she needed to go for a run to get rid of some of that fury she took Archie next door and asked Barbara to mind him, then gathered all four dogs and went on a run with them, the run seemed to help her mind but when she arrived back, she found Priya sitting on the bench in her front garden

"Hello Penny, nice day for a run I see"

"Yeah you should try it sometime" said Penny letting her own dogs into the house before turning back and starting to go back next door

"You not stopping to chat then? Asked Priya she was unsure if Penny had heard of what she tried to do and Penny's current behaviour wasn't giving anything away

"About what? Asked Penny, though as she walked back past Priya, Cassie took an instant dislike to her and started growling at her

"What's the matter with her? Asked Priya looking a bit fearful

"She is a very clever dog that is very picky about the people she likes" said Penny shrugging her shoulders and as Cassie continued to growl this set Daisy off and Penny had to hold her back

"So you don't want to know why I am here then? Asked Priya getting up and edging away from the dogs that clearly disliked her

"Not really but you apparently are bursting to tell me but it will have to wait" said Penny going into drop the dogs off and collecting Archie she told Barbara to call Leonard and catch him up

"Your still here then? Asked Penny when she arrived back in her own garden with Archie in his pushchair

"Yes I was passing after going to see Chandra again"

"That's nice, how's Sanjay? Asked Penny innocently and trying to stall time she sat down on the bench next to Priya who was still standing and took Archie out of the buggy and gave him his bottle

"Sanjay is good, we are going to New York tomorrow on business" replied Priya as a sudden screeching of tyres came to a halt in front of the house, Raj and Leonard both appeared, Priya saw had mad Raj was and found herself with no escape

"Priya how could you do this, I am supposed to be in a happy place right now with the birth of my son and here you are playing stupid games"

"You know for somebody who is supposed to be a brainy lawyer, your not very smart are you" said Penny passing Archie to Leonard and walking up to Priya and standing in front of her

"Penny what are you doing" said Leonard

"Nothing I am just standing here in my garden, apparently Priya wants to have a chat but she is beating around the bush a little so unless you have anything else to say perhaps you should leave" said Penny waiting a moment as Priya stood speechless then turning around she ushered Leonard inside the house with her leaving Leonard surprised

"What was that about, I would of thought you may have gone all Nebraska on her Asked Leonard

"Leonard I don't need to get mad with her, I have you and she doesn't and as I said earlier I have better things to do than waste my time on her" replied Penny

"Looks like you didn't need me after all" said Leonard

"I trust you Leonard and I needed you to see that" said Penny as the doorbell rung, going to the door she saw Raj there and let him in

"Priya has gone, Penny that was the first time I have seen her speechless at anything" said Raj

"Yes well revenge against her is so not worth it, I have everything I want right here and I am secure in that knowledge" said Penny smiling at Leonard

"Well we better get back to work then" said Raj

_**Later on that day**_, Penny and Amy were relaxing in the pool house as Sheldon and Leonard were with the children in the pool and they talking about Priya,

"Leonard told me how you dealt with her and that's probably the best way, I saw how scared he looked when she was in his office and he was trying to get away from her"

"I don't think we will be seeing her again anyway" said Penny

"If anything it shows how strong you and Leonard are as a couple now" said Amy rubbing her belly

"Baby kicking?

"Not sure, it doesn't feel like kicking and its funny I am just coming up to 5 months with a tiny bump, nothing like when I was pregnant with Marie"

"Maybe you will get bigger in the last couple of months" said Penny

"Maybe, ouch that hurt" said Amy wincing and rubbing her belly again

"How long has it been hurting? Asked Penny

"I had some pains yesterday and earlier but they went away but I can feel the baby moving around so it must be ok" said Amy though Sheldon having seen Amy doubled over clutching her belly got out of the pool and handed Marie to Penny and helped Amy back inside the house

"Do you want me to call a doctor? Asked Sheldon looking worriedly at Amy

"No its ok, I think I just need to lie down for a bit"

"I will the doctor anyway" said Sheldon as Amy started to protest and then had another pain

"Amy let him call the doctor" said Penny

About 10 minutes later the doctor arrived and after examining her started to question Amy on the pains

"Have you had any bleeding or spotting?

"No its just this pain I am getting in my belly, more specifically towards the right side"

"Well I have a feeling that it may be your appendix but I will call for an ambulance to have you checked over at the hospital"

"What about the baby? Asked Sheldon

"The baby seems fine but your wife may need surgery or antibiotics depending on how bad it is and if you have only had pains in the last 24 hours then it will probably clear up quickly with antibiotics" said the doctor

"I will take Marie next door and mind her until you get back" said Penny taking Marie upstairs to get her dressed ready for bed

"Thanks Penny" said Sheldon looking worried at Amy

The doctor called the ambulance which arrived within minutes and Amy found herself in a private room, still in pain with Sheldon doing his best to comfort her as the consultant doctor arrived with a sonogram machine and a nurse

"Hi Amy, now I just want to check the baby over first to make sure its ok" the doctor rubbed some gel over Amy's belly and making sure he avoided the area where Amy had pain moved the pointer over her belly, the baby appeared on the screen with the echo of the heartbeat, the doctor looked at the screen for a long time checking various things

"Is everything? Asked Sheldon

"Yes the baby is fine, growing at the rate we would expect, I can see from your notes that you are 19 weeks did you want to know the sex?

"Yes please" said Amy

"At the moment the baby is laying in the wrong position so I can't actually see but the main thing is that its fine"

"So do you think I have appendicitis" asked Amy

"Yes I would say so from your description of the pain and the location of it, now because you are in the 19th week of pregnancy we are unable to do operate by keyhole surgery which is usually our preferred option, so we will put you on a course of IV antibiotics through a drip in your vein, you will have to stay in for at least two days so we can monitor you and the baby, the nurse will set that up now and I will be back to see you shortly" said the doctor

"Thank you" said Amy as the nurse took a few minutes to insert the drip and started the antibiotics, the sonogram was left on so the baby's heartbeat could be monitored while Amy was being treated

"Nurse will I be able to stay the night here? Asked Sheldon

"Sorry we don't allow that but you can stay until the end of visiting which is at 10pm" said the nurse

"Sheldon can you phone my mom and also Leonard and Penny and tell them what's going on?

"Of course, I will take the next couple of days off to be with you"

"Thanks"

Sheldon left the room to inform Barbara and having talked with Penny found that Marie was ok and asleep and going back into the room where Amy was

"Amy its nearly time for me to go, will you be ok?

"Yes I have my phone so we can video chat when you get home if you like"

"Ok but not for long, you need to rest" said Sheldon as the doctor came back in

"Amy we are just going to scan the baby again, how's the pain?

"Still there but I know these things take time"

"Usually we say give it at least 6-8 hours before things improve" said the doctor

The doctor rubbed the gel over Amy's stomach again and this time the baby had moved and the doctor could see what they are having

"I can tell you now that you are having a boy, congratulations" said the doctor

"Sheldon did you hear that? Said Amy excitedly

"Yes we will have one of each now" said Sheldon

"Have you got a name for him? Asked the doctor

"Yes he will be called Richard"

"Very nice, ok I will be back in the morning to check on you, now if you need anything or have any more pain just press the call button above your bed" said the doctor

"Thank you doctor" said Amy smiling at him as Sheldon's phone beeped with a message

"Ok that's Leonard with my lift home, Amy I will be back first thing in the morning"

"Ok and Sheldon you were brilliant and you didn't panic tonight"

"Amy I love you, make sure you get some rest" said Sheldon kissing her and leaving the room

Once outside he found Leonard in the car park and told him they were having a boy

"That's great, how's Amy doing? Said Leonard starting the car

"Still in pain but the doctor thinks by the morning she may have improved pain wise" said Sheldon

"I rang Amy's boss to let her know and that she will be off work the rest of the week" said Leonard

"Oh that's something I wouldn't of thought about" said Sheldon

"Well you have more important things going on" said Leonard

"That's true, also we are having a boy" said Sheldon happily

They arrived back at the house, Sheldon went into next door first to check on Marie who was asleep and then video called Amy for a few minutes, Leonard suggested Sheldon stay in their spare room for the night so he wasn't alone

The next day Sheldon arrived at the hospital at the start of visiting time at 8am having had a text from Amy asking him to bring breakfast apparently anything would do, so he stopped off at a café and got Amy a bacon sandwich and a cup of tea

"Good morning Amy" said Sheldon arriving in the room with a bunch of flowers

"Morning lovely husband" said Amy sitting up and greeting her husband with a kiss

"How are you feeling?

"Tired, Richard was kicking a lot so I didn't sleep much but the pain seems to be subsiding so that's good"

"Has the doctor been yet?

"No he will be making his rounds at 830 and the nurse told me I am first"

"Ok, your mom will be here shortly and then Penny will be here this afternoon" said Sheldon passing her the sandwich and tea

"Oh thank you, I saw the breakfast menu and decided I wouldn't have any of that" Amy started munching her way through the bacon sandwich

"if you give me a list of what you would like for lunch and dinner I can bring it or have others bring it in" said Sheldon

"Oh sure, how's Marie?

"She is fine, sleeping when I left and Leonard is going to take the dogs out"

"She must be missing me, I wish I was back home"

"Of course so do I, but you need to get better first Amy"

Amy spent the next three days in hospital before the doctor declared that she could go home with oral antibiotics and with instructions to rest and with a final scan of the baby


	15. Chapter 15

After Amy was released from hospital she took the following week off work to recover fully and Sheldon also took time off to take care of her, he also helped with looking after Archie for the three days that Penny was working at her store.

Raj and Kelly were getting on well with Chandra, Rajs parents had flown over and stayed for a week, they had also spoken to Priya after Raj told them what she tried to do and they made Priya send a letter of apology to Leonard and Penny, the letter however was returned via Raj unopened as Leonard and Penny had no interest in what Priya wanted

_**By the end of June**_, Bernadette had stopped working, she only had two weeks until her due date and she was carrying this one better than in her previous pregnancy and she had already passed the time for when she had to have Rose early so was hopeful she could go full term, the same week on Friday evening the group were gathered at Sheldon and Amy's house for their now monthly Chinese food and vintage video game night when Alex made a suggestion

"As you know my parents live in Malibu, my aunt owns a house next door to them that she rents out throughout the year and she has no bookings for next weekend, so I was wondering if you would all like to join me?

"How big is the house? Asked Amy

"Oh it has 6 bedrooms so it would be big enough for everybody and it is literally on the beach" replied Alex

"I would love to come but what about the store? Asked Penny

"Why don't you just swap the shifts around, see whether people would be happy to work the weekend" asked Raj

"Oh that could work as I have appointments over two days next week and I can work full days now that Archie is getting older, alright I will do that" said Penny

"Good, you can bring the dogs as well as my aunt allows pets, they would love the sea" said Alex

"Ok count us in as well, it will give me a chance to relax a little bit and Howard can look after Rose because I won't be able to chase after her" said Bernadette

"So I was thinking if everybody agrees then we can go Friday night and return Sunday evening" said Alex

"Sheldon and I are in" said Amy after they exchanged looks

"As are Kelly and I" said Raj

"Good I think if we leave by 530 then we will be there by about 7 depending on traffic" said Alex

"I think if we all take our own cars as well because there will be a lot of stuff to take what with the children and the dogs" said Amy

"Ok in that case, I will meet you all there because I will be working at the store until it closes at 6 and Alex if you give me the address I can drive straight there" said Natasha

"Nat you can leave early on the Friday, I will get Christine to lock up as she will be one of the ones I will ask to work the weekend, in fact let me just email them now" said Penny abandoning her food and going back next door to get her laptop

After they had eaten, the ladies in the group left the guys to play games while they watched the children and chatted, Rose and Marie were turning out to be little buddies despite their 6 month age gap, Archie was still at the crawling stage though he was now 10 months old and despite attempts from Leonard and Penny was in no hurry to even practice walking

Later on that night after everybody had gone home, Sheldon and Amy were getting ready for bed when they could hear Daisy and Cassie barking in the garden, Amy went to the bedroom that backed onto the garden and looked out of the window and saw Daisy by the closed door to the pool house, she was scratching at the door constantly with Cassie watching

"Sheldon something's wrong for them to be doing that" said Amy

"Maybe they will stop barking in a moment, I am sure its nothing but I will go down and check before we get complaints about the noise" said Sheldon

Amy followed him downstairs and turning on the garden light so they could see better they walked over to the pool house where Daisy was still barking, looking through the glass door, inside Amy could see two squirrels on the far side of the room sitting on one of the sun loungers

"Sheldon if you take the dogs in and put them in the game room then I can open the door and hopefully they will run out and peace will be restored" said Amy

"Sure" replied Sheldon calling Daisy and Cassie to him, they followed him inside and Amy opened the pool house door and walked towards the squirrels, they both immediately ran for the door across the garden and over the back fence, Amy spotted one of the windows was open so shut that and then locked the door and went back inside the house and up to her bedroom where she lay down on the bed rubbing her aching belly

"Sheldon I am going to take a bath, the baby is kicking like crazy like it can't wait to get out"

"Well you only have 9 weeks to go, maybe he is getting ready, you stay there and I will run your bath for you and maybe give you a massage afterwards, you look like you could do with one"

"Come and lay down with me first" said Amy holding her hand out for Sheldon to take

"What's the matter?

"Nothing I just want to have you by my side" said Amy as Sheldon lay down on the bed and spooned her, Amy guided Sheldon's arms around her swollen belly so he could feel Richard kicking and they cuddled for a few minutes

"Would you like me to join you in the bath?"

"No I think I would rather lay here with you, this feels much more comfortable" said Amy turning her head and kissing Sheldon, he responded with passion and felt himself becoming aroused, Amy could feel his arousal pushing against her back and wanted him but didn't quite have the energy to do anything about it

"Alright, I think we should get changed then, if we are going to stay in bed" said Sheldon

"Sleep is all we will be doing with this one bouncing around inside me" said Amy getting off the bed and taking her clothes off and wincing when she felt another hard kick

They retired to bed and the next morning Amy woke up feeling better as the baby was not kicking so much, that day she, Sheldon and Leonard had one more school visit to go on before she stopped going until after she had the baby, Sheldon and Leonard were going to carry on until the school holidays in two weeks time

The following week the group were excited for their weekend away to Malibu, Penny had managed to change several of her staff shifts to which they happily agreed and everybody had packed their things ready to go and were meeting outside Sheldon and Amy's house, all 5 dogs were going with them and they had all their things packed in the car with them including their beds, Alex arrived with Natasha and gave everybody the address to go to but in the end they all said they would follow her

They arrived in Malibu at 645pm, Alex stopped at her parents house to pick up the key they found themselves inside a luxury house with leather sofas and armchairs and a massive kitchen, Alex gave them a quick tour

"All the bedrooms are the same size by the way although two of them have en-suites and there is a bathroom upstairs and one down here" said Alex

"How are we going to choose rooms? Asked Amy

"Ok first of all, Natasha and I are going to take the dogs for a quick run, they have been cooped up for an hour driving and the run will wear them out" said Penny taking Daisy and Cassie from Sheldon and Cinnamon from Raj

"Are you sure? Asked Amy

"Yes, if you could watch Archie while Leonard unpacks that would be helpful" said Penny disappearing out the sliding doors which led onto the garden and the beach behind it

"Amy I don't want you lifting anything heavy and it looks like Bernadette cant really move too much at the moment" said Sheldon watching Howard lead Bernadette to the sofa and helped her to sit down

"A Chinese takeaway is on the way" said Alex coming back down their stairs

"Thanks Alex, think we will all need that" said Kelly

After about 20 minutes, Natasha and Penny returned with 5 very wet dogs, Amy had brought her dog towels with her so within a few minutes the dogs were dried off then fed and pretty soon they were wandering round the house looking for the best places to lay down, it appeared that Daisy was the leader of the pack

"Is it unusual that all 5 dogs get on so well? Asked Bernadette watching them

"I suppose but as they are well trained nice dogs it makes sense that they get on" said Sheldon

Their Chinese food arrived shortly after the children had gone to sleep and they chatted amongst themselves for the remainder of the evening and everybody agreed to go to the beach in the morning, Penny wanted to go to Venice Boardwalk before that though, then after some of the group retired to their bedrooms, Sheldon and Amy were left downstairs with Leonard and Penny playing card games, Amy found that the only comfortable place for her to sit was on the floor with her back to the sofa, she also had Daisy resting her head on her lap snoring

"I think Sheldon and I will go to bed now" said Amy trying to get up "Or I would If I could get up" Sheldon helped her up and noticed that she was grimacing in pain

"What's the matter?

"Nothing, apparently me moving woke the baby up and he's protesting" said Amy

"Well when we get upstairs you will be able to relax and hopefully sleep"

"Yes well as you know I am not getting a lot of that at the moment, goodnight you two" replied Amy nodding to Leonard and Penny and calling Daisy and Cassie to follow her to their room

"We will be going up in a minute as well" said Penny

The next morning the occupants of the house woke to the smell of bacon, Alex and Natasha had got up early and were cooking breakfast for everybody

Sheldon and Amy were still in bed, Marie was awake in between them and she was resting her head on Amy's bump and laughing when she felt the baby kicking

"Marie do you know what is in mommy's tummy? Asked Sheldon

"No daddy, moving though"

"Well it's your baby brother, he has to grow inside mommy before he can be born" said Sheldon to which Marie looked at him confused and clambered over Sheldon to get out of bed

"I think somebody is ready for breakfast" said Amy

"Yes I think we should go down especially with the smell that's coming up here"

Leaving the room, they were joined by Leonard, Penny and Archie leaving their own room, once they were downstairs they found that everybody but Kelly was up

"Morning guys, Natasha and I should have breakfast ready in a few minutes if you want to sit down, we will bring everything and you can tuck in buffet style" said Alex

"Sheldon can you take the dogs out and then feed them" asked Amy

"Oh its ok, I already did it, when I came down this morning they were already here waiting by the door to go out," said Alex

"Thank you" said Sheldon

"How are you doing Bernie? Asked Amy

"Oh ok, I will be glad when Rebecca is out and I am glad I don't have long left now" replied Bernadette as she helped Rose try to eat her breakfast, Rose was currently at an independent stage and wanted to do it herself batting her mothers hands away

"Are you going to come to the beach later? Asked Amy to Bernadette

"Yes although I think that will be the only thing I will be doing" said Bernadette

"Where's Kelly" Asked Penny looking to Raj

"Oh she is just feeding Chandra, you know how it is, she will be down shortly" replied Raj

"Ok food is ready, if anybody wants fried eggs they are cooking now" Alex brought over bowls with sausages, bacon, mushrooms and tomatoes leaving everybody to tuck in

"Morning" said Kelly walking into the kitchen with the baby monitor "Chandra is sleeping so at least I can eat without having to watch him"

"Oh by the way, Kelly and I are going to Florida to see her family as they have not seen Chandra yet so would one of you be able to have Cinnamon? Asked Raj

"Sure when are you going? Asked Penny

"Week after next" replied Raj

"Sure we will have her" said Penny as Rose who was eating cereal chucked her bowl on the floor with a loud clatter, no cleaning was required as Daisy gobbled up the food

"Anyone would think she never gets fed" said Sheldon

After breakfast the whole group changed into swimming costumes and making sure the children had plenty of sun cream on and arm bands then went out onto the beach, Alex had brought all the sun loungers from the garage and several wind breakers which Howard and Raj set it up so that the group could have their own private space together, they had also brought the dogs out and so that they didn't go wandering off, they were tied onto the wooden poles of the windbreakers but on extension leads so they could move around

"Amy I am going to take Marie for a paddle, do you want to come in? asked Sheldon

"Yes why not" said Amy, she and Sheldon walked down to the edge of the water both holding hands with Marie, choosing not to just paddle they swam out further until they were waist high and letting Marie swim between them, Howard and Raj joined them with Rose who was the most active of the children

"You know Amy I think all the swimming practice she has had in our pool is proving quite beneficial now" said Sheldon admiring his daughters swimming ability

"That's true and look at Penny with Archie, he seems to be loving it as well" replied Amy watching Penny with Archie swimming towards them with Natasha helping

"Leonard is going to take pictures of us all if you like" said Penny

"Sure" said Amy as Penny signalled for Leonard to come forward with the camera, taking pictures of everybody together in the sea, except for Bernadette who was resting and Kelly and Chandra, as he was only 2 months old, she stayed back to mind the dogs that were currently laying down in the shade

The group had a fun time splashing about in the sea for around an hour before Amy had to get out

"Sheldon all this swimming has made me tired and the baby is making me very uncomfortable, I'm just going to have a sit down for a few minutes" said Amy

"Will you be ok with me staying in here with Marie?

"Yes of course, she is enjoying it" replied Amy walking out of the sea and going to their little area where Bernadette and Kelly were watching

"Kelly if you want to go and swim, Bernie and I will mind the baby"

"Are you sure?

"Yes go on, he's sleeping so he will be fine" smiled Amy sitting down on the sun lounger and taking a bottle of water from the cool bag

"You know Amy this would be great if we could do this more often as a group, it's good for the children to get a bit of exercise as well"

"Yes I think you are right" replied Amy as she dried herself off and tried to get comfortable and managed to doze off for a little while until everybody came out from the sea at lunchtime

"There is a chip shop just down the road, if anybody wants anything then I can go? Asked Alex, she received several orders so along with Natasha they went off taking Marie and Archie in their pushchairs as they were both due sleeps

"Amy, Leonard Penny and I are going to take the dogs into the water, they look like they could do with cooling off, do you want to come in?

"That sounds like fun" replied Amy

"Do you want us to take Cinnamon in Raj?

"No I will bring her" replied Raj walking towards the sea with them and soon the dogs were splashing about chasing a ball that was being thrown for them, Cinnamon only being little chose to stay in the shallow part of the water, Bernadette had now joined them and was taking pictures and filming with various phones that she had been given

Alex and Natasha returned with the chips and with two sleeping children so they decided to pack up and returned back to the air conditioned house for lunch, after which the group split up and went off to go exploring the area, returning for dinner that Amy had cooked, the next day was spent on the beach again and by 4pm, they had packed up and were ready to leave, everybody was feeling relaxed after the little break.

A week later, Amy had cut her hours for her final three weeks of working before she went on maternity leave and by the following weekend, everybody received the news that Bernadette had given birth to Rebecca, this time she had a natural labour with Howard and Kelly by her side.


	16. Chapter 16

Bernadette stayed in hospital overnight when she had Rebecca and was allowed home the next day, Howard had asked that instead of people coming over that day that they come to the house on the Saturday two days later as it was also Rose's 2nd birthday and was having a little party for her

On the day Bernadette bought home Rebecca they made sure they made a fuss of Rose as they didn't want her to feel jealous or left out because of the baby, Rose was very curious and asked to hold her, so Howard sat her down on the sofa and gently placed Rebecca in her arms, Rebecca slept through the whole thing, this puzzled Rose

"Dad why she stay asleep? Asked Rose

"Because she is a baby and that's what babies do" replied Howard

"Why?

"Because it helps them develop"

"Oh, can I go in garden now?

"Yes but you know you are having a party tomorrow for your birthday don't you?

"Is Marie and Archie coming?

"Yes" replied Howard taking the baby off her and placing her in the Moses basket

The next day all their friends arrived for the party, Raj and Kelly were flying to Florida the same evening so were only able to stay for a couple of hours, they had dropped Cinnamon at Leonard and Penny's house on the way over to the party

Howard and Bernadette had only invited their immediate friends and family over and once they arrived they were directed to the garden where Howard had hired a bouncy castle for the children and he was also cooking up food on the barbeque, Bernadette was currently sitting in the lounge with Rebecca when their friends arrived and were able to see Rebecca for the first time, Bernadette passed Rebecca over to Amy who was looking eager for a cuddle

"She is beautiful, just like Rose was when she was born" said Amy as Sheldon walked Marie over to see the baby

"Thanks" replied Bernadette

"Amy I am going to take Marie out to the garden" said Sheldon

"Sure, how was the birth Bernie?

"Oh I am glad it didn't go on for hours but because I had a caesarean with Rose I kind of enjoyed it if that makes sense"

"Well natural is the best way to go" said Amy as Leonard and Penny arrived and Amy passed the baby to Penny, Leonard took Archie into the garden to join the others

"Amy just so you know Leonard and I will be joining you in Texas for Christmas this year, we had been thinking about it ever since Mary asked and my parents are going as well, apparently they exchanged numbers and were discussing plans" said Penny

"Oh that's great, Texas is lovely" replied Amy

"We finally got Archie to walk, we have been practising a lot lately and he can take a few steps on his own now" said Penny

"Soon he will be running about all over the place just like Marie and Rose" said Amy

"Yes I have no doubts!"

Howard came into the lounge and said that if they wanted food to come outside as everything was ready, they had recently moved into their new house as they had outgrown the apartment, the house was close by to where his mother lived which helped when Bernadette had the baby as Mrs Wolowitz took care of Rose for the night

"Are your parents coming Bernadette? Asked Kelly

"No they came yesterday because they have gone to Mexico on a pre booked holiday"

As the party continued, Rebecca was passed around and admired by the group and the children had a fun time on the bouncy castle, Amy had to go and sit inside as the heat became too much for her, she was sitting in the kitchen drinking a glass of icy water with Sheldon fanning her when Penny came back in and saw

"You know Amy if you and Sheldon want to go home I will mind Marie and bring her back later"

"Are you sure? Because I could do with a lie down"

"Yes, go now while she is outside and doesn't see you going" replied Penny

"Thanks Penny" said Amy as and she Sheldon left as quickly as possible or as quick as a 8 month pregnant lady could move, Sheldon took the baby seat out of the car and gave it to Penny before driving off

When they arrived home, Amy went upstairs and had a cool shower before going to bed, Sheldon joined her in bed spooning her so she was comfortable, he could feel the baby moving about and kicking a lot

"Amy is that painful when he does that?

"No it's just very uncomfortable and laying like this helps, especially when I have my lovely husband supporting me" replied Amy

"Shall I get you some more water?"

"Yes please"

Sheldon went downstairs and returned with two glasses of icy water which Amy drank one after the other

"Sheldon can you cuddle me? I find myself craving physical contact with you at the moment"

"You want to spoon or face to face?

"Face to face I think" said Amy as Sheldon got into bed with her and they lay cuddling

"Feeling more comfortable now? Asked Sheldon

"Oh yes" replied Amy reaching out to stroke Sheldon's face and then kissing him briefly and smiling at him

"You ok?

"Very, I think I would like to use Lee as Richards's middle name" replied Amy bringing Sheldon closer to her than they already were

"Yes I like that and in a few weeks, the baby will be born and all this will be worth it" said Sheldon

"Oh I know, it's just very tiring that's all especially when it's so hot, I think I will try to have a little sleep now" said Amy

"Ok, I will go and walk the dogs, I can't imagine Penny will be too much longer its 4pm after all"

"Come back to me after then" said Amy

A couple of hours later Amy was feeling much better and was now having a swim in their pool with Sheldon and Marie, Penny had returned with some of the bbq food for them which meant they didn't need any dinner

_**Two weeks later **_Amy was in her office at Caltech having a meeting with Dr Carter before she left for maternity leave the next day, that morning she had started to feel the same sort of pain in her side from when she had appendicitis, she was hoping that the pain would go away but the pressure of the baby kicking was making it feel worse, Dr Carter who was talking noticed that Amy kept grimacing in pain

"Amy what's wrong?

"Pain again in my right side and the baby is not helping it" replied Amy in a strange voice before trying to stand up and then collapsing to the floor, Dr Carter tried to help her but could only lay her on her side, she quickly called an ambulance and then Sheldon, Amy had passed out briefly but had now come round but was still very dazed, Sheldon arrived within minutes, he had brought Leonard with him

"What happened, she was ok when I saw her an hour ago" said Sheldon kneeling down by his wife

"Hi Sheldon, the ambulance is on the way, Amy said she was having pains on her right side again and then just fell over"

"I will go and direct the paramedics to here, also I will phone the others to let them know" said Leonard leaving the room

"Sheldon the pain is really bad, it's worse than the last time" said Amy in tears and clutching her side, she was struggling to breathe with the pain

"How long have you had the pain?

"Well yesterday I thought I was having Braxton hicks but maybe I was wrong"

The paramedics arrived and put Amy on oxygen to help and then strapped her to the stretcher, blue lighting her to the hospital they arrived within minutes, the consultant doctor was the same one Amy saw before and after examining Amy and having a sonogram of the baby he had bad news for her

"I think we are going to have to operate and remove the appendix, first thing though is removing your baby, he is far enough along that there is no danger for him but your appendix has probably burst and him kicking it will not be good for you"

"I still have a month to go though" said Amy looking panicked

"Yes I know but he looks healthy from the sonogram and you can hear that his heartbeat is ok, if he needs it then he will go in an incubator but I have done things like this before and I can tell you now your baby is in safe hands"

"Will Sheldon be able to come in the theatre with me?"

"Yes we will erect a screen across your chest so neither of you will be able to see what's going on, we just need you to sign the disclaimer form and we can start straight away" said the doctor passing Amy the form, she signed it straight away and the nurse passed Sheldon some scrubs to put on

"You will need these in the operating theatre" said the nurse

"Sheldon are you sure you want to come in with me? I know you don't like this sort of thing" said Amy as another pain ripped through her

"Yes you are right but you need me to support you Amy"

"Ok Amy here is the plan, we will deliver your baby by giving you a general anaesthetic which will numb your entire lower half so you cant feel anything but you will be awake and you will just feel a tugging sensation, then we will have to knock you out completely to remove the appendix, we will make sure that your husband is not in the theatre for that part" said the doctor

A few minutes later Amy was in the theatre, Sheldon was holding her hand and trying to reassure her, then she started to feel the tugging sensation the doctor mentioned and within a few minutes Richard had been born, the midwife showed him briefly to Amy and Sheldon before taking him to be cleaned up, another nurse whisked Sheldon out of the theatre while Amy had her appendix removed

The nurse took him to the empty theatre room next door where the midwife had taken the baby to clean up, the baby was showing that he had a healthy pair of lungs by crying

"Is he ok? Asked Sheldon looking at him

"Yes he seems perfect and he weighs 6'3 which is amazing for a one month premature" replied the midwife

"Does he need to go in the incubator?

"No he's breathing normally and as you can hear he sounds fine as well" said the midwife wrapping the baby up in a towel and handing him to Sheldon and guiding them out of the theatre and to a private room where he could sit down with the baby, on the way though he spotted Leonard by the reception desk and called him over

"Is Amy still in theatre? Asked Leonard

"Yes, hopefully not for too much longer though" said Sheldon gazing at his son

"How are you feeling?

"Scared, worried that sort of thing really, I really didn't like it in the theatre even Amy knew it but I needed to man up"

"The baby is ok that's good" said Leonard

"Yes and I would like to introduce you to him, Leonard this is Richard Lee Cooper" said Sheldon

"You can tell he is yours because he looks just like you" joked Leonard, Sheldon gave a little laugh then about 15 minutes later the door opened and Amy was wheeled into the room, she was not quite awake though

"Dr Cooper your wife will need a few hours rest so we have given her a sedative to help her recover more quickly, she will be groggy for a while, the doctor will be in shortly" said the nurse before leaving the room

"Leonard can you take Richard while I ring Barbara and then my mom?

"Yes but Barbara is on her way, I phoned Raj and he called Kelly to go over take over babysitting Marie and Archie"

"Thanks Leonard you are a good friend" said Sheldon passing Leonard the baby

"Sheldon" came from Amy in the bed, Sheldon looked over and walked over to the bed, Amy tried to sit up but couldn't

"Amy are you ok?

"Yes although I hurt all over, is the baby ok?

"Oh Amy he is perfect, Leonard come over and show Amy" Leonard came over and showed Amy the baby, Amy burst into tears at the sight of him

"The doctor was right then about him being ok"

"Yes and he weighed 6'3 and he cried a lot after being born"

The doctor then arrived in the room and told Amy that the appendix hadn't burst but it was so full of puss that it could have burst at anytime and that they made the right decision operating

"Thank you doctor but are you sure that Richard doesn't need any help?

"Yes very the midwife checked him over thoroughly, you will notice that we have put you on antibiotics and pain killers through a drip in your vein again, this is just for precaution though, also this means you wont be able to breastfeed while you are on medication, the midwifes are preparing some formula for you at the moment"

"Thank you, when will I be able to go home"

"Not today that's for sure, I would say it will depend on how quickly you recover and then you must rest at home in bed for at least two weeks, an emergency caesarean is a very serious thing"

"Can you help me sit up so I can hold my son? Asked Amy to the doctor

"Yes of course but it might hurt a little where the wound is" said the doctor helping her, his beeper then went off so he had to go "If you need anything just call one of the nurses, I will try to come back later"

Once Amy was sat up, Leonard who was still holding Richard passed her the baby and she was able to hold him for a few minutes, then passed him back to Sheldon, her mom arrived shortly after

"Amy I was so worried, are you ok? Asked Barbara

"Yes I am fine now, would you like to meet your grandson?

"You know I would" replied Barbara as Sheldon gently passed the baby to her

"Meet Richard Lee Cooper" said Sheldon more happily than he had been an hour ago

"Did you tell your mom yet? Asked Amy

"No I am going to do it now, Leonard can you come with me" said Sheldon kissing Amy and walking out of the room with him and leading Leonard outside where he started crying

"Sheldon are you ok, what's wrong"

"Yes but I thought I was going to lose her, I don't know what I would do without Amy, she is literally my world"

"She's fine now though and you would have had to carry on for Marie, look come here" said Leonard hugging Sheldon and leading him to a bench

"Thank you Leonard that helps, will you stay with me while I phone my mom?

"Yes of course, I need to let Penny know as well, when I tried to phone her at the store she was with a client and her phone was turned off, Natasha said she would pass on the message though but I will need to update them"

A few minutes later Sheldon had spoken to his mom and told her of the situation, she said she would fly out the next day with Missy to offer any help

Sheldon and Leonard returned to the room where Amy was now feeding Richard with the formula, the nurse arrived shortly after

"I will have to ask you all to leave and come back this evening, Amy has had a traumatic time this morning and needs some rest"

"Can my husband stay?

"Amy its ok, I will come back later when you have had rest like the nurse says" said Sheldon

"Also Amy if you want to sleep then we have a little baby area next to reception where we can mind him"

"Really?

"Yes it's proven very popular with post surgical mothers"

"What time shall I come back? Asked Sheldon

"Anytime after 6 that will give Amy sufficient time to rest" replied the nurse

"Sheldon can you bring me something to eat for dinner as well" said Amy

Amy kissed everybody goodbye and promptly fell asleep, she was able to control her own pain medication and was feeling a bit more comfortable

As Barbara had driven herself to the hospital and Leonard had bought his own car, he drove Sheldon back to his own house, he went inside to the lounge where Kelly was minding the children, Bernadette and Howard who was still on paternity leave had arrived and were helping to supervise the children

"How's Amy? Asked Bernadette

"She's ok, a bit groggy, the nurse told us all to leave and come back later on, when she has had some rest, Richard is perfect" replied Sheldon showing them all photos that he had taken on his phone

"How are you feeling though Sheldon? Asked Howard

"Much better now, I was panicking for a while but seeing that Richard was ok and then Amy afterwards was such a relief, thank you for looking after Marie" said Sheldon looking towards Kelly

"No problems, also Raj bought Amy's personal things back, he had to go back to work but he will be here shortly" said Kelly patting him on the arm

"Daddy" shouted Marie running into the room excitedly to see her father, Sheldon bent down to pick her up and he hugged her close to him "Where's mommy?

"She's at work" said Sheldon he didn't want to panic his daughter and she was too young to understand anyway

"Ok put down, I play with Rose" said Marie at 16 months old her speech was still a bit broken, sometimes you could understand her and sometimes it was just nonsense

"Sheldon when you go back to the hospital I will stay here tonight to mind Marie" said Barbara

"Thanks, does anybody want a drink? Asked Sheldon

"You stay there Sheldon, I will make it for you" said Leonard going to the kitchen, then to the door when he heard knocking, opening it he saw Penny there, he greeted her with a kiss

"Hey you, your phone is turned off"

"I know I literally drove back here so quickly when Natasha told me" said Penny following Leonard to the lounge where Sheldon was and hugging him, then looking at the pictures that he showed her

"Penny would you like to come with me later to see Amy? No offence to anybody else" said Sheldon

"Of course I would, what time are you going? Asked Penny picking up Archie who was crawling towards her and cuddling him

"The nurse told me to come back at 6"

"Ok, Leonard can you look after Archie tonight then" asked Penny

"Yes, I will stay here with Barbara until you get back" said Leonard going back to the kitchen and making Sheldon's tea

"Did you tell your mom Sheldon? Asked Penny

"Yes, she and Missy will be arriving tomorrow to help"

"Well I have no more appointments until Saturday so if you need me then I will be here"

"Sure that will be helpful, I don't know how long Amy will be in hospital for and the doctors have told her when she returns to rest for at least two weeks before doing anything"

"Well Sheldon just ask any of us and we will be happy to help even if its just child minding" said Bernadette

"Thanks everybody, I am very grateful for everything" said Sheldon smiling at all his friends

_**OK the next chapter will include Amy's recovery and more**_


	17. Chapter 17

Later that day, the group had unspokenly decided to stay with Sheldon at the house, Raj and Alex had arrived after going shopping for food and drink supplies and Sheldon wanting to keep things as normal as possible for Marie was swimming with her in the pool

Barbara had gone home to collect some overnight things, she had returned at 5pm at the same time as Dr Carter and President Siebert pulled up outside the house, not knowing who they were she asked them and recognised the names, she let them into the house and took them to the garden where Sheldon was now watching Marie swim with help from Penny

"Sheldon you have visitors" said Barbara

"Hi, President Siebert, Dr Carter" said Sheldon

"Hi Sheldon, how is Amy doing now? Raj told us briefly earlier on" asked Dr Carter

"She is ok, she had to have major surgery and she is resting, I will be going back later on, Dr Carter I just wanted to say thank you for helping Amy this morning"

"It's not a problem, I just happened to be in the right place at the right time"

"Dr Cooper please take as much time off as you need, my wife had to have an emergency caesarean with our daughter so I understand" said Siebert

"Thank you" said Sheldon

"Also that goes for the rest of you that work at the University, I know how close you all are and my wife and I appreciated the help we were given by our friends afterwards" Said Siebert

The house phone then started to ring, Barbara who was back in the house answered it and found herself talking to the doctor who was looking after Amy, she rushed out to the pool house where Sheldon was with the others

"Sheldon, Amy's doctor is on the phone" said Barbara passing him the phone

"Hello?

"Hello Dr Cooper, I would say try not to worry too much but being a father myself that would be wrong, we had to take Richard into an incubator as when he woke up he started taking big gasps and breathing quite badly, luckily he was by the nurses station so they were able to see straight away, they gave him oxygen and he will be in an incubator aiding his breathing until we think he will be ok"

"Does Amy know?

"Yes she is with him now, we wheeled her bed round to the unit"

"How long ago did this happen?

"Just 20 minutes ago, we had to deal with the situation first, but we are already seeing an improvement so Richard may only be in the incubator for a short time"

"Is it ok if I come in now instead of later? The nurse kind of chased me out earlier"

"Yes of course, also Amy has requested that you bring her some magazines, some nightclothes and her phone" replied the doctor

"Ok thank you I will be there shortly" said Sheldon ending the call, he told the others what happened and quickly went upstairs to get dressed

By the time he returned Penny was ready as well, "Sheldon I have some of Archie's newborn baby grows here in case Richard needs them at the hospital, I didn't know if you had anything ready yet"

"I hadn't even thought about it but thank you" said Sheldon picking up his car keys but Penny stopped him

"Sheldon you are in no state to drive, come with me in my car" said Penny leading him out

They arrived at the hospital and after going to the nurses station on the maternity ward were given directions to the baby unit, Sheldon left the things that Amy requested in her room and went to the unit where Amy was still with Richard holding onto his little hand, looking up she saw her husband and best friend coming into the room

"Sheldon the doctor told me he phoned you" said Amy

"Yes I came here as quick as I could" replied Sheldon hugging and kissing her

"Look at you Amy causing us so much worry" said Penny leaning down and hugging her friend

"I know! The doctor was here a moment ago but had to go but he did say that Richard may only need to be in the incubator for another hour or so" said Amy

"Was you asleep when it happened? Asked Sheldon going closer to look at his son who was awake and looking around

"Yes the nurse came and woke me to tell me straight away which I was pleased about"

"Are you hungry because I can get you something from the café down the road" said Penny

"Oh yes please, I had some toast a little while ago but it didn't really touch the sides" said Amy

"How are you feeling pain wise now Amy? Asked Penny

"A lot better, this thing is doing the world of good" said Amy pointing to the drip and the stand next to her

"Have you been out of bed yet? Asked Sheldon

"Only once when the nurse helped me to the bathroom"

"I will go and get your food for you, give you two some time alone" said Penny as Sheldon passed her his bank card and gave her the pin

"I fancy a pasta dish, can you go to the Italian for me please?

"Sure" said Penny smiling at her "Back soon"

The nurse in the unit came over and said that if they wanted to hold Richard they could but he would still be attached to the wires in the incubator, so they each held him for a few minutes before putting him back, Penny returned 30 minutes later with Amy's food and the nurse said she would have to eat it in her own room, so leaving Sheldon with Richard she was wheeled back to her room

"Was Marie ok with me not being there? Asked Amy tucking into her food

"Yes Sheldon just said you was at work, no point in confusing her when she doesn't really understand" said Penny

"Oh yes good point" said Amy

"Your mom will be staying at the house tonight to look after her and I have bought some of Archie's baby grows" said Penny showing her the bag with them in

"Oh thanks"

Amy took a long time to finish her meal and afterwards the doctor came in along with Sheldon with Richard in his arms, the doctor informed them that Richard no longer needed to be in the incubator as he was now breathing normally but the nurses would keep an eye on him

"As for you Amy, we will be keeping you in for tonight obviously, we will see how well you are recovering over the next two days and make a decision then" said the doctor

"Thanks Doctor" said Amy

"Penny would you like to hold Richard?

"Of course" said Penny as Sheldon passed her the baby "Hello handsome" said Penny as Richard looked up to her with wide eyes, she looked up at Amy and saw that she was crying

"What's wrong Amy? Asked Sheldon

"Oh just the emotion of the day has got to me" said Amy wiping her tears away with a tissue that Sheldon handed to her and gave her a hug

"Shall I put on one of the baby grows on Richard that Penny brought? Asked Sheldon to Amy

"Yes go on then" said Amy

Sheldon and Penny worked together to take off the hospital issue garment that Richard had been dressed in and soon he was in a blue onesie, they stayed with Amy and Richard until Amy started to feel sleepy again at around 9pm, Sheldon said he would be back first thing in the morning with breakfast that Amy wanted and once back home only Barbara, Leonard, Alex and Natasha were at the house, the others had gone home promising to be back the next day to help, Sheldon went to the kitchen to make some tea with Leonard following him

"Sheldon, Missy Skyped to say that they will be landing at LAX at 1pm, so I will go and pick them up, I know you will probably be at the hospital with Amy" said Leonard

"That's quite helpful thanks" replied Sheldon as Barbara and Natasha brought Marie in who appeared very sleepy but happy to see her dad, Sheldon took her from Natasha and gave her a cuddle

"She wanted everybody to give her a cuddle" said Barbara

"I have given her a bath and her bottle, I can take her up to bed if you like" said Natasha

"Thanks for doing that but I think I need to spend a bit of time with her before she goes to bed though" said Sheldon

"Daddy where's mummy? Asked Marie

"She will be back soon, I promise" replied Sheldon

Sheldon took Marie up to bed and read her a story before returning back downstairs, Alex and Natasha had left and Leonard and Penny were just about to

"Sheldon we will be back first thing to help out" said Penny who had a sleeping Archie in her arms

"Thanks for helping me out today" said Sheldon

"Your welcome"

The next day Sheldon arrived early at the hospital and stayed all day, Mary and Missy came into see Amy straight from the airport, Leonard was with them and had brought Amy and Sheldon some lunch, Mary was her usual religious self

"You know Amy when my Shelley phoned me, I prayed for a miracle that you would both be ok and you are and you can't say that didn't work" said Mary

"Mom I don't think your god played any part in the operation, that was down the skill of the surgeons" said Sheldon

"Don't be sassy with me Shelley, just because you have two kids now doesn't mean I cant slap you upside the head" said Mary, this caused Amy to laugh which made her wound hurt a little

"Mary thanks for coming, Richard is in the cot there if you want to pick him up"

"Oh sure that is why I am here after all" said Mary as she and Missy took turns with him, after an hour of visiting the nurse came in and asked them to leave for Amy to get some rest

"Amy I am going to come back tonight and maybe with Marie if I am allowed" said Sheldon looking to the nurse

"How old is she?

"16 months" replied Sheldon

"Well we wouldn't usually allow a child that young in to visit but on this occasion we will as long as it doesn't cause anybody upset" said the nurse

"Sheldon you don't have to bring here, in fact it would be better if you didn't"

"Why?

"Because it's not like I will be able to pick her and cuddle which is all I want to do with her right now, it will be better if she sees me when I am back home"

"Ok if you are sure, be back later Amy, love you"

"Love you too" said Amy as Sheldon kissed her and then Richard

By the end of the following day the doctor after examining Amy said that she could go home the next day as long as she had plenty of rest, which just happened to be Saturday, Sheldon had been out to buy a single bed to keep downstairs in the lounge so that Amy could feel comfortable during the day and still be around everybody and not alone

The next day Leonard drove Sheldon to the hospital so they could bring Amy and Richard home, their friends were waiting back at the house for them so they could be there when they arrived home, when Sheldon arrived in the room Amy had just finished feeding Richard, she was already dressed herself and ready to go, Sheldon took the baby off her and Leonard helped with her possessions, the nurse had provided a wheelchair for Amy to get to the car.

They arrived home and Penny who was waiting outside the house took the baby from the car and Amy with help with Leonard and Sheldon managed to walk into the house, she went straight into the lounge where everybody was waiting for her, she was greeted with hugs and eventually she managed to sit down, Barbara brought Marie into the room and as she saw her mother sitting on the couch, she gave her a little hug and then she went off to play with Rose

"Bernadette I know how you felt after your caesarean now" said Amy wincing slightly

"Well we both had them but in very different circumstances, mine was planned so I had time to prepare where you had no time"

"Natural is definitely the best way to go" said Amy

"Do you want Richard? Asked Penny

"No let other people have a hold, I have him for the rest of my life" said Amy as Missy brought her in a cup of tea "Thanks"

"Amy sugar if you want anything to eat just ask" said Missy

"I will do, how are my other babies doing anyway? Asked Amy

"Which babies? Asked Sheldon looking puzzled at her

"Daisy and Cassie of course" said Amy

"Oh they are next door, we thought it best for now, I can bring them back later if you really want to see them"

"Maybe, right now I am just glad to be back home, even if I am going to be rattling with all the medication I have to take" replied Amy

"Not all of us are going to stay all day every day with you, we have devised a shift plan to help you guys out, although when I say we it was more Sheldon that devised it after we suggested it" said Penny

"That's nice of you all" said Amy yawning and looking sleepy

"We will go and hang out in the garden with the children so you can get some rest" said Penny as Sheldon helped Amy up and over to the bed

"Thanks, you know Sheldon this hasn't put me off having anymore children but I think we will be waiting a very long time before the next one" said Amy once they were the only ones left in the room

"Yes I have no doubts about that" said Sheldon

"Also the doctor said no coitus for at least 6 weeks, which is a shame"

"Yes I know but that doesn't matter, you and Richard are here safe and that's what matters"

"Can you bring Richard over to the bed? Asked Amy pointing to the moses basket next to the settee

"Sure"

"You can join me as well, I need a snuggle with my husband" said Amy as Sheldon brought Richard over and gave him to Amy and managed to perch himself on the edge of the bed, he put his arms around Amy and held her close to him

Two weeks had now passed since Amy returned home and while she was still under doctors orders to rest she was able to have times when she could play with Marie for short periods of time and she had people offering her help whenever she needed it, Missy and Mary stayed for two weeks and then had to fly back home and the day after they left Penny was in the lounge with Amy when she brought up a subject, Leonard and Sheldon had taken the children out along with the dogs for a walk

"As you know its Archie's 1st birthday next week and we will be having a little party for him, we would like you to come if you are feeling up to it" said Penny

"Just try and stop me, I wont miss my godsons birthday, I am already feeling better and the caesarean cut is healing well" said Amy

"Well as long as you are careful" said Penny

"I promise"

"Are you still on the painkillers?

"No I finished them yesterday and from tomorrow I will be able to breastfeed again" said Amy

"Guess you will be glad about that" said Penny

"Yes, I did it for Marie so I would like to do it for Richard"

Later on that day Leonard and Penny were back in their own house and in bed

"You know Leonard what happened to Amy made me realise that I can't leave things too long otherwise it will be too late"

"What do you mean?

"Well I said a few months ago that I wanted to wait before we have another baby but I don't, I want us to start trying"

"Really?

"Yes, we have plenty of childcare options and the businesses are doing well and your doing well, I just don't want to leave it too late that's all

"Penny you are still young but I am in agreement"

"Good now lets see, we are going to Texas for Christmas and that is 4 months away so even if I got pregnant between now and then I would still be able to fly"

"Are you going to the store tomorrow? Asked Leonard

"Yes but not until the afternoon, why? Asked Penny

"Just because I don't want you to be too tired after what we are about to do" said Leonard bringing Penny closer to her and kissing her

"Maybe I am tired already" said Penny as Leonard stopped and stared at her

"Oh"

"I did say maybe and I was joking" said Penny putting her arms around his neck and kissing him

_**A week later**_

The day before Archie's party, Amy had returned to the hospital for a final check up and had the stitches removed and was given the all clear, she was no longer in pain but she was still under instructions not to do too much and she had gone with Sheldon to Glendale Galleria to find a present for Archie

The day of Archie's party came and Sheldon and Amy had bought him a little car which he could power with his feet, Leonard was cooking all the food on the BBQ, Amy with help from Sheldon made her way into the pool and was swimming with Marie for a few minutes until the exercise made her tired and Sheldon took over with Marie, once she had sat down she made a general announcement to the group

"I know its Archie's party and I don't want to steal his thunder but you guys have been brilliant with helping Sheldon and I the last couple of weeks and we wanted to find a way of thanking you, so next Saturday we will be taking you all out for dinner at the Langham hotel" said Amy

"Thank you Amy but we don't expect anything in return, we know you would of done the same for us" said Bernadette

"Unfortunately it's non optional" smiled Amy

"Well only if you are up to it" said Penny

"I am already feeling 100% better and finally I can be a proper mom again to Marie and bond more with Richard" replied Amy

"What about the kids? Asked Howard

"Oh the kids will be coming too, we have booked an entire room just for us, so the kids can be as loud and boisterous as they like without annoying other diners" replied Sheldon

"You do know that there is 18 of us to pay for? Asked Penny

"Yes of course and as I just said we wanted to thank you for your help, you are all great friends and I don't know what we would of done without you all" replied Amy

_**Next chapter up soon**_


	18. Chapter 18

_**One Month later**_

_**Smut alert!**_

It was now the end of September, Chandra was 5 months old and Kelly had returned back to work at the Penny Blossom unit but only for 3 days a week, she was still officially the unit manager but after she had spoken to Raj and Penny about relinquishing the role to be just one of the workers, they had agreed and with her recommendation had promoted Kelly's assistant Amanda to the manager role

Bernadette was also going to return to work in late October

Richard was now 8 weeks old, Sheldon had returned to work two weeks previously and Amy had taken Richard into work to show her work colleagues, she was planning on taking 5 months maternity leave before easing herself back in and she had also increased the days that Marie was going to day nursery to three mornings a week, she had her little friends join her as well as Rose and Archie were enrolled in the same one

During the second week of October, Penny found herself and the stores being featured in both the women and men's fashion magazines, she didn't know anything about it until Raj told her to look on the message board on the store website and saw comments about it, the features in the magazines were positive about her and her staff and she was now currently on the phone with her manager Claire

"Penny the Home Shopping Network have asked if you will cover one of the afternoon presenters slots for two days maybe three"

"When do they want me? Asked Penny

"Tomorrow, their regular presenter has gone sick and you remember the producer Anne, she rang me and asked for you before thinking of anybody else"

"Ok, what time do they want me there?

"They have asked that you get there for 1pm for make up and a briefing, your slot will run from 2 until 4"

"Fine tell them I said yes"

"Ok, I will see you there" said Claire

"Ok" replied Penny

Over the next two days Penny enjoyed doing the presenting and by Thursday that week she also discovered that her plan to get pregnant had worked, she and Leonard had returned from the hospital after a scan and found that Penny was 6 weeks pregnant and the baby would be due in June the following year which delighted them both

"Shall we tell people tonight at dinner? Asked Penny everybody was due to meet at the Cheesecake factory that night

"I don't see why not" replied Leonard kissing her

"I do like it when a plan works, I just hope I don't have any problems like Amy did"

"Amy was unfortunate, I'm sure you will be fine" replied Leonard as there was a knock at the door, answering it he found Amy with Richard in her arms and the baby monitor in her pocket, he ushered her in to the kitchen where Penny was and he went out to the garden with Archie

"Hey, I was wondering if you would mind Marie and Richard for a couple of hours tomorrow night? Asked Amy

"Yes of course, where are you going and where's Marie? Asked Penny

"Marie is asleep, hence the monitor and we are not going anywhere, I want to give Sheldon a surprise romantic date night indoors, he has been so great the last couple of months and I want to reward him" said Amy

"What do you have planned? Asked Penny

"A candlelit meal and maybe watch a DVD, but definitely nothing else though"

"What do you mean?

"I have been avoiding showing him my scars, they are not so bad now but I don't want to put him off you know" said Amy worriedly

"Oh Amy, Sheldon loves you for you, not because you have some marks on your body, why don't you show me and I can tell you what I think? Asked Penny

"Sure but not down here where Leonard can see"

"Upstairs then" said Penny leading her up, Amy placed Richard on the bed between two pillows and lifted her top to show Penny the marks

"Amy you can barely see them" said Penny

"Are you sure?

"Yes look you need to talk to Sheldon about this, if you two have not been intimate since Richard was born he is going to start to wonder why"

"I guess you are right, thanks Penny" said Amy hugging her, they went back downstairs where Leonard was now in the lounge playing with Archie

"Seeing as you are here Amy, Leonard and I were going to tell everybody tonight but as my best friend, I am going to tell you now" Penny went to continue but was interrupted by Amy

"Your pregnant?

"Yes, how did you know?

"The empty pregnancy test boxes in your bedroom bin and congratulations by the way, I am very happy for you both" said Amy

"Thank you, we are 6 weeks by the way"

"That's great, listen Marie will be awake soon and Sheldon should be back shortly, do you want to go for a walk to the park with the kids and dogs?

"Yes why not, let me get Archie ready and we will come round in a few minutes"

Amy returned back to her house and Sheldon arrived a few minutes later, she text Penny to wait while she spoke to him about her fears

"Sheldon tomorrow Leonard and Penny will be minding the children for a few hours"

"Oh why where are you going?

"We are going nowhere but here, I am planning a romantic evening for the two of us, I feel that I have neglected you since Richard was born and I want to make that up to you"

"Amy you were recovering from major surgery and bonding with a new baby, that's hardly neglecting me"

"It is when I have been doing my best to stop you from seeing my ugly scars" said Amy looking up at him

"What are you talking about?

"I don't want you to be put off me when we get intimate and you can hardly avoid looking at them" said Amy

"I could never be put off by you, if you are that worried then show me"

Amy looked at him for a moment and decided that she would show him, she lifted her top while Sheldon looked then shrugged his shoulders

"Amy I will need a magnifying glass to see them, they are tiny but they don't matter to me, think of them as your living a life scars"

"So you don't think they are ugly?

"No and I will prove that to you now" said Sheldon bending down and lightly kissing Amy's belly where the caesarean scar was and then the appendix scar

"Oh my goodness, I think I have the best husband in the world" said Amy as Sheldon cuddled her then he noticed she was crying

"Why are you crying?

"I don't know"

"Women, I will never understand them" said Sheldon shaking his head and then hugging Amy

"Leonard and Penny will be here in a minute to go for a walk with the kids and dogs, so if you could get their harnesses and leads and I will get Marie" said Amy moving away from Sheldon

"Ok but first of all come back here" said Sheldon he took Amy's hand and brought her back into the hug then he kissed her and gently ran his hand over her belly "Does that feel better"

"Oh yes very" smiled Amy, she text Penny to come round and within a few minutes everybody was ready

When they got to the park, Leonard and Sheldon went into the dog park and were left with Richard while Amy and Penny pushed Marie and Archie on the swings

"Sheldon I don't know if Amy told you but Penny and I are having another baby" said Leonard

"Oh congratulations" said Sheldon slapping Leonard on the back

"Thanks it was something we had been thinking about for a while and Penny is 6 weeks gone"

"Are you still coming to Texas for Christmas? Asked Sheldon throwing a ball for Daisy, all the dogs chased after it and fought playfully over it

"Of course, are you taking the dogs?

"Yes and you can bring Jess and Jack"

"That solves who will look after them all then" said Leonard

"Yes" said Sheldon

_**The following day **_Amy had taken Marie and Richard next door, she had left Penny with some milk for Richard in case he needed it and to bring him back if he was unsettled, Penny had then decided to invite Rose over for a sleepover as all three of the eldest children were little buddies.

Amy set about getting herself ready, she had an hour until Sheldon said he was coming home, she still was still carrying a little bit of baby weight on account of not being able to do much exercise but she managed to fit into a dress she had brought from Penny's store a while ago, she had put on a little bit of make up and curled her long hair and was now in the kitchen preparing Sheldon's favourite meal of spaghetti with little pieces of hotdogs, she had put some romantic music on the CD player and she had bought some wine for the occasion, she was lighting the candles when there was a knock at the door, answering it she could only see a large bunch of flowers obscuring the view of the person until they made themselves known

"These are for you" said Sheldon passing her the flowers

"Thank you but why are you knocking? You have a key after all"

"Yes but I am following your romance plan and I am arriving for my date with flowers as is customary when you are "wooing" somebody" replied Sheldon doing the quotation marks

"That's so romantic" said Amy gazing at her husband "These are beautiful by the way"

"You are very welcome" said Sheldon taking his coat off and hanging it up and following Amy to the kitchen, she poured him a glass of wine and passed it to him and then went back to the oven to check on the dinner

"Dinner will be about 5 minutes" said Amy looking over her shoulder at him and smiling, she then went to a cupboard to get something but Sheldon found himself wanting Amy and walked up behind her where she was looking in the cupboard and put his arms around her belly and kissed her neck, Amy could feel how aroused her was and turned around to kiss him, Sheldon then pressed Amy against the side and kissed her neck again

"Oh you don't know how much I want you Amy, I have missed these moments"

"I think I can tell and I will make it up to you" said Amy as Sheldon picked her up, she wrapped her legs around his waist and her hands around his neck for support and kissed him again

"You are beautiful in every way possible Amy"

"I believe you when you say it, now if you would like to sit down, I will bring everything over" said Amy going to the oven and taking the dish out with the spaghetti and bringing it to the table, then going back to the oven and collecting the garlic bread she had cooked

"Oh you cooked my favourite, thanks" said Sheldon

"Well I wanted this evening to be for you, so tuck in and enjoy" said Amy going to the CD player and choosing the song that she wanted

"What time are you collecting Marie and Richard? Asked Sheldon

"I said 9 so that gives us three hours, Marie is staying overnight for her sleepover but Richard is far too young at the moment"

"Ok that gives us plenty of time then" replied Sheldon leaning over to kiss Amy and then eating some of his food

They chatted about his work while they were eating and after they had dinner, Amy brought out a Chocolate cheesecake she had made herself then Amy led Sheldon into the lounge

"You can watch whatever movie you like, even if its one of your Star wars/trek films"

"I don't want to watch a movie" replied Sheldon taking the remote and switching the TV to a music channel and sitting down on the sofa, he indicated to Amy to sit on his lap which she did and they made out like that until Amy made a suggestion

" Do you fancy a dip in the pool? Asked Amy Sheldon said yes so quickly changing out of their clothes and in to swimming outfits they went out to the pool, shutting the door so the dogs couldn't come in and were now in the pool sitting on the steps by the shallow end still drinking the wine

"You know I have been thinking about this for a while and we can afford it" said Amy

"What's that?

"A hot tub, there is plenty of space for it down the end there"

"How much are they?

"A good one will be a couple of thousand dollars"

"Alright we will get one but enough of that, come here" said Sheldon leaning over to kiss Amy, she kissed him back and then moving the glasses of wine to the edge of the pool, she swam further into the pool with Sheldon swimming after her towards the other end

"I never knew you were a tease Amy" said Sheldon once he had caught up with her

"I am worth chasing after then?

"You know you are" Sheldon wrapped his arms and legs around Amy and kissed her and soon they were rocking against each other in the pool both making moans of lust, when Sheldon led her out of the pool and to the sun lounger where they both lay down and resumed kissing and fondling each other

"You know Sheldon I want you right now" said Amy taking her bikini bottoms off and then Sheldon's, she could see how aroused he was and needed him

"Are you sure you are ready, I don't want to hurt you?

"You wont hurt me" said Amy laying back down then she remembered he didn't have a condom, Sheldon went inside and returned less than a minute later and still aroused Sheldon entered her and started to thrust into her going deeper every time, Amy started to realise just how much she had missed intimate relations with her husband, after a while, they both collapsed in ecstasy, sweating and still desiring each other

"Come in the pool and get cool again Amy" said Sheldon picking her up and sitting down with her on the steps

"I think I probably needed that! Said Amy leaning against her husband

"Yes we both did" replied Sheldon putting his arm around her

"I think a cool shower would be better, it's very warm in here" said Amy

"You might be right, how are you feeling by the way?

"How do you mean?

"No pain from your stomach? That was quite intense what we just did"

"No pain at all, come upstairs with me" replied Amy

They had a quick shower and redressed and went down into the lounge and changing back into their regular clothes

"Sheldon will you dance with me? Asked Amy putting their wedding song on

"Of course" replied Sheldon taking Amy in his arms and slow dancing round the room with her, neither of them could stop smiling or gazing into each others eyes, Amy put another romance CD on and they found themselves kissing again whilst dancing until it was almost time to collect Richard

"I love you Sheldon, I hope we can have date nights like this again soon"

"I love you too" replied Sheldon bending down and lifting her top he kissed her scars "Remember Amy these are part of you and I love every part of you" said Sheldon

"Thank you" replied Amy hugging him then taking his hand and leading him next door to collect Richard, Penny answered the door

"Hello you two, how was date night?

"It was very pleasant" said Amy smiling up at Sheldon

"Yes I bet it was, you are both looking very happy, Marie is still awake but upstairs as Leonard is reading stories to them all but Richard is asleep, Jess has been guarding the pram all night"

"That's good though, maybe she will do that when your one is born" said Amy going to the pram and checking him

"Yes to be honest I think she's been watching Daisy because Daisy does that a lot"

"Seeing as we are here, I just wanted to talk Christmas plans, Amy and I are planning on leaving on the 22nd of December and coming back around about the 4th of January, will you be ok with that? Asked Sheldon

"Yes of course and I have already set up the Christmas Rota for the stores, Alex will be working all the days we are open and Natasha is coming with us now, that's ok isn't it? Replied Penny

"Of course it is, the more the merrier and my mom informed me that your parents and Amy's mom are staying with Meemaw and we will be staying at my moms house, now I would suggest if she gets too much for you then we can book hotel rooms to get away from them as well" said Sheldon

"Also there will be plenty of grandparents offering child minding duties" said Amy

"Oh yes that reminds me I have to tell my parents I am pregnant" said Penny

"She will be pleased" said Amy

"Yes especially as I am her only hope for grandchildren, Natasha says she is happy to play with them and pass them back but she is still young and has a great job and as for my brother, well he is just a waste of space" said Penny

"Ok we better go back and leave you to it, thank you for looking after the children" said Amy

"No problems, Richard was very good and he had his bottle an hour ago"

Amy and Sheldon returned back next door with Richard, she took him out of the pram and upstairs to his room and then Amy realised the washing up had been left so went into the kitchen and started clearing everything away

"Amy leave that till later, lets just enjoy what's left of the evening" said Sheldon coming up behind her and kissing her shoulders

"Well when you put it like that, why not" replied Amy taking Sheldon's hand and going to the lounge with him, she settled onto the sofa with him and they sat cuddling watching TV with Sheldon gently tickling her tummy from time to time making Amy laugh

"Sheldon thank you for making me realise that I didn't need to be so paranoid about my scars, I needed to hear that and you showed me they are nothing to worry about" said Amy

"Amy If I had something on me that I was worried about, you would reassure me as well, it works both ways remember" replied Sheldon

"Come on lets go to bed, the dishes can wait" said Amy leading her husband up to their bedroom

_**Next chapter up soon**_


	19. Chapter 19

Early one evening at the end of October, Penny's manager Claire had phoned her to say she would be over to her house straight away as she had a job offer for her, Leonard had taken Archie to the garden to play so as not to be in the way and Penny and Claire were now at the dining room table talking

"Penny, one of the advertising agencies wants you to appear in a Christmas advert"

"What sort of advert is it?

"Basically Macy's want an advert depicting a typical family scene where the family is surrounded by Macy's goods and with the family having Christmas dinner, they have already cast the father, two children and grandparents and they want you, also there is one other thing they would like to have and they were very specific about"

"What's that?

"After the dinner scene they want a scene where everybody is sitting around watching TV and they want to have a couple of dogs, now I see you have one of the ones that is required" said Claire pointing to Jack

"Ok, what about Jess?

"No they want a German Shepherd and I have mentioned to them that you had a friend with one, do you think they would be ok allowing that?

"Well we can always go next door and ask them" said Penny

"Does your dog get on with next doors? Asked Claire

"Yes, I can bring him with me to show you as well and also I am 8 weeks pregnant, I hope that won't be a problem with the casting agent?

"Congratulations, I can ask them though" said Claire as Penny put Jack on his lead and took Claire next door to Amy's and told her about the advert

"Yes I don't see why not and I will say yes only because Penny will be in the advert, Daisy was abandoned as a puppy and I don't want her getting stressed with strangers" said Amy

"Amy you know I will look after her and you are right Daisy knows me" replied Penny

"Ok let me just phone the agency and tell them you are in, I don't know if I should tell them you are pregnant, you don't even have a bump yet and the advert is being filmed next week" said Claire going off to the kitchen to get some privacy

Claire came back 10 minutes later and confirmed that Penny being pregnant was not a problem and that the agency were happy with the choice of dogs

"If you could take pictures of the dogs now, so I can send them to the agency? Asked Claire

The pictures took a few minutes as Daisy and Jack preferred to play and kept wandering off, eventually they managed to bribe the dogs with some treats and the pictures were taken

"Ok you will need to be there by 12pm on Tuesday, I will email you the details once I get back home" said Claire

"Are you going to be there at the advert? Asked Penny

"No not this time, I have other clients to see, bye" said Claire waving and then leaving

"Penny you don't mind if I come do you?"

"Of course not and Daisy will be more comfortable with you around, I would suggest bringing doggy treats so that she is more cooperative if they need her to sit still, I will do the same for Jack"

"Thanks" said Amy as the house phone started to ring and Penny waved goodbye

The phone call turned out to be from the local dog shelter asking if Amy would consider fostering a dog for two weeks as they had no space in the kennels, she told them she would call them back in a few minutes and after discussion with Sheldon agreed to go and collect the dog

"Hi Mrs Cooper" said the receptionist recognising Amy "If you would like to wait a moment and one of our workers will be with you shortly"

A few minutes later a lady appeared in front of Amy and led her to an office

"Hi, my name is Carol, what's happened today isn't a rare occurrence but we do have a list of regular foster carers but none of them were available at short notice, we know this particular dog is ok with other dogs though"

"Why is it for two weeks only?

"We have managed to get her adopted but the new owners had a holiday booked that they obviously can't cancel, I will just go and collect her" said Carol

Carol returned with a brown and black King Charles Spaniel who was very excited to see Amy and jumped into Amy's lap

"What's her name? asked Amy stroking the dogs ears

"The new owners are calling her Bonnie, also they have provided us with two weeks worth of food and her bed basket so you can take that with you as well"

After collecting all the dog food and then putting Bonnie in the borrowed crate that had been provided, Amy called Sheldon and said she would be home in a few minutes and that she would need help taking all the dog food in, when Sheldon saw the little dog in the crate he had some concerns

"Amy she's very small compared to Daisy, are you sure this will be ok?

"She's bigger than Cinnamon so I wouldn't worry, let's just get this stuff inside and then we can introduce them"

"Ok I got Penny to watch the kids upstairs so we can do this without Marie getting overexcited"

"Good idea" said Amy going back out to collect Bonnie and taking her to the garden where Daisy and Cassie were, she called them over to where she was now sitting on the bench in the garden with Bonnie at her feet and the two dogs had a sniff of her and then encouraged Bonnie to play by chasing each other, Bonnie joined in straight away

"Looks like you were right then" said Sheldon as Penny came down

"I just read Marie a story and she is now asleep, oh aren't you adorable" said Penny as Bonnie came running up to her

"Amy I would suggest not falling in love with her especially when we only have her for two weeks" said Sheldon

"I know and if this is successful we could do it again" replied Amy

_**The following week**_

On Tuesday, Penny and Amy were driving to the studio which was based in Beverley Hills where the advert was being filmed, Amy had brought Richard with her as she didn't want to leave him and Marie was at nursery and Barbara would be collecting her and Archie later, they arrived and were signed in and asked to wait until they were called

A few minutes later the casting director approached Penny

"You must be Penny, I am Martin Grayson" said Martin shaking Penny's hand

"Hello thank you for thinking of me for this advert"

"Well you fit what we want, did you bring the dogs?

"Yes but we left them in the car, I can get them now if you like?

"Yes please"

"Oh this is my friend Amy, one of the dogs is hers" said Penny

"Thank you for allowing us to use your dog, how old is your baby? Asked Martin noticing Richard strapped to Amy's front in a sling

"He is 9 weeks old" replied Amy

"That's interesting, I may have an idea that might work" said Martin disappearing

"What was that about? Asked Amy looking puzzled

"Not sure but let me just get the dogs" said Penny

Penny returned with the dogs and Martin came back and showed them into a room where the other people who had been cast were sitting waiting to be filmed

"Amy this is my fellow casting director Melissa Grant, we had previously been discussing having a baby in the scene but hadn't found any that fitted the look of the scene but your baby would be perfect"

"Um, really? Asked Amy in surprise

"Yes if you allow us to use him then we will make sure its for the shortest time possible and there will be nothing to scare him, we can rewrite the scene so that Penny is holding him the same way you are now" said Martin

"Well I would need to speak to my husband to check that he approves of course"

"Ok, you need to do that now then because we are filming in 30 minutes, we have two rooms set up, which you will see in a few minutes" said Melissa

"Penny what do you think I should do, I don't want to steal your thunder, this is your world not mine" said Amy

"Amy go for it, ring Sheldon now and explain" said Penny

Amy rang Sheldon and explained the situation and he agreed to it, Melissa came back and introduced everybody to each other and showed them how the scene would be set out, nobody in the scene needed to speak as music would be added once the scene was completed

The directors decided to use the after dinner scene first as both Daisy and Jack were getting restless being stuck in one room, they had the actors sitting down and Penny with Richard in her arms drinking from a bottle and Daisy and Jack laying down on the floor in front of her, Penny was directed to give a blissful expression at thechildren opening presents on the floor and the grandparents asleep in the armchairs, they got the scene done and then the director asked them to do it again so they had another copy to use just in case

The second scene was everybody round the dinner table with food being served, with everybody looking happy like they were enjoying the food, Penny had Richard in the sling this time and the dogs were also in the scene but in beds. The scene was also repeated again and the director wrapped it up

"Thank you all for coming, the advert will run on all network channels from the last week of November" said Melissa

"Oh and thank you for letting us use your baby, he is very quiet" said Martin

"Well I think some of that is because he was a month premature but he has his moments" said Amy as she and Penny made a complicated move of removing the baby and then the sling from Penny and then back to Amy

"If we get requests for dogs again, especially your type of dogs we will call you, they are very well behaved" said Martin

Amy and Penny collected the dogs and drove back to their house, on the way though Amy had a panicked call from Barbara saying that Marie had an accident nursery and had damaged her arm and they were now at the hospital, Amy relayed this back to Penny and she detoured towards Pasadena general hospital, they found Barbara in the children's ward with Marie in a bed with her left arm in a sling, Archie was strapped in his pushchair, Penny picked him up and gave him a big kiss and cuddle which made him giggle

"Has she broken her arm? Asked Amy taking one look at Marie

"Yes, they just did an x-ray and it was confirmed that the Ulna has a crack in it, you know she hasn't cried once" replied Barbara as the doctor came into the room

"Hello Mrs Cooper thank you for getting here so quickly, we are just about to put Marie's arm in a plaster cast, she will need the sling to support her arm but we think she will only be in a cast for two weeks at the most" said the doctor

"Amy the nursery teacher said that Marie was running about with Rose and just crashed into a chair then fell down on her arm" said Barbara

"Its ok there is nobody to blame, just one of those things I guess" said Amy

"Look mummy I hurt arm" said Marie pointing to her arm with her good hand

"I know baby it will be ok soon, does it hurt? Asked Amy stroking Marie's hair

"No" though it looked like Marie didn't understand the question as she made a face when the nurse started with the plaster on the arm

"Seeing as she is being seen to I'm just going to ring Sheldon" said Amy

"I already did it, he should be here shortly" said Barbara "Talk of the devil" said Barbara as Sheldon appeared

"Daddy look hurt arm" said Marie

"Yes I can see, don't worry I will write on your cast once it has set"

"What you write daddy? Asked Marie looking confused

"I don't know yet but it will be something nice" said Sheldon

A few minutes later the nurse had finished the plaster on Marie's arm and the doctor said that Marie could go home but that she should avoid putting the arm in water, he also provided Amy with dissolvable pain killers which were suitable for children under two


	20. Chapter 20

Penny arrived back from the hospital with Amy and saw that Claire was sitting on the bench in Amy's front garden, Sheldon had gone back to work after the hospital visit and Barbara had gone home

"Hi Penny, Amy, sorry to drop by unannounced but I have news for you both"

"Sure come in, let me just get my daughter from the car first" said Amy helping Marie out of the car and carrying her to the door, Penny got the dogs out of the back and led them into the house

"Oh what happened to you sweetie" said Claire looking at Marie's arm

"Hurt arm" said Marie

"She fell over and cracked the bone" said Amy clarifying

Penny followed Amy in to the lounge and Amy sat Marie down on the couch

"Marie you will have to sit and rest for a while, no more running about ok? Said Amy

"No mommy want to play"

"Just be careful then" replied Amy as Marie and Archie started to play with their toys

"Ok, the reason I am here is that the advertising agency wanted to pay you your fees for the work you did this morning, Penny you know usually you will get on going payments for long term adverts but because this one will be running for just one month, everybody is getting a one off payment and that includes the dogs"

"Really? Asked Amy surprised

"Yes now Macy's are expecting to do well anyway this Christmas and they instructed the advertising agency to pay generous fees, Penny you will get $50,000 and the dogs will get $5000 each and Amy your baby will get $25,000"

"That is very generous" replied Amy

"Yes, I already have Penny's bank details, I just need to take yours so I can instruct the agency to transfer the money over"

"Do I need to give you a manager fee? Asked Amy getting her bank card out and passing it to Claire

"Not on this occasion but if I have anymore calls requesting Richard or your dog then I usually charge 10% of any work you do and a yearly managerial payment of $5000"

"Amy you should sign Richard up, obviously talk to Sheldon first but Claire is able to charge a small fee because she runs her own Manager agency and has a lot of clients"

"Ok, I am sorry Claire did you want a drink?

"No its ok, I have to be getting on now, see you later" said Claire as Penny showed her out

"Mommy we want Rose" said Marie coming into the kitchen with Archie where Amy now was

"Rose is with the childminder, maybe later" replied Amy

"Amy call Bernie and ask if you can have Rose for the rest of the afternoon, I am sure she would be ok with it"

15 minutes later Penny arrived back at the house with Rose and soon the three children were playing tea parties in Marie's bedroom sitting at her little table and chairs, Penny was supervising while Amy was feeding Richard

Later that day when Sheldon had come home, Amy was cooking dinner and told him about the money Richard would be getting

"You know Sheldon we haven't opened an account for Richard yet, when the money is transferred to our account we can just move it over I guess and also the money we get for Daisy's appearance I want to give to the local shelter if that's ok with you"

"Sure that's a good idea, how's Marie doing?

"Oh she spent the rest of the afternoon playing with Rose and Archie and she's worn herself out and sleeping, so is Richard, the nursery called and I spoke to them about Marie, she wont be able to go back until her arm is healed, so its lucky I am on maternity leave then" replied Amy

"That gives us some you and me time then" said Sheldon coming up behind Amy at the oven and putting his hands around her belly and kissing her neck and shoulders

"You know I like it when you do that" replied Amy as Sheldon pressed against her

"Oh I know and that's why I do it" said Sheldon as Amy turned around and kissed him hard on the lips with her arms around his neck

"Sheldon" moaned Amy as Sheldon pressed harder against her

"Yes Amy? Asked Sheldon as Amy led him to the dining room table and sat down with him

"I don't know how you are so turned on by me when I am still fat from the pregnancy"

"Amy you are not fat and you have a very fine figure, I told you that already" replied Sheldon leaning into Amy and kissing her neck again

"Maybe I am just having a fat day today then" said Amy

"Stand up" said Sheldon pulling Amy up from the chair

"Why? Asked Amy

"Amy Farrah Cooper-Fowler you are my wife and you are beautiful and sexy in my eyes"

"Maybe you can prove that after dinner then" said Amy winking at him and going back to the kitchen

"You can count on it" said Sheldon following her and kissing her again

"Sure and Penny will mind the children again on Saturday for us to have date night"

"Well let's hope it is as good as the last one" replied Sheldon

"Oh it will be" smiled Amy

_**The following day **_Penny was at the store working in the office and waiting for a client when Natasha told her that a photographer was in taking pictures of everything, she followed Natasha out onto the main floor and demanded to know what the photographer was doing

"If you want to take pictures then you need to ask permission, why are you doing this anyway? Asked Penny

"Sorry, got a friend of a friend who is a realtor in New York and wanted pictures of the store, apparently there are rumours you will be opening one there?

"Well that would be the first I have heard of it then" replied Penny ushering the man towards the exit

"Come on, I know people on Saks Avenue and there are opportunities to expand, most people would kill for a prime location like that"

"Well if I did expand then I would talk about with my business partner first and not some random paparazzi man"

"I would say don't rule it out then" said the man handing Penny a business card

"Thanks I will bear that in mind" said Penny as the man left

"You know Penny expanding countrywide wouldn't be a bad idea" said Natasha who had heard everything

"I know but all that costs money, maybe in a few years when we are making huge profits we could go to New York and maybe other places but not yet"

"Maybe just talk to Raj about it then, you have a business plan after all don't you?

"Yes and part of that plan is to rent for 5 years and then review our options to buy and have both stores in one"

"Do you think you are close to that plan considering you are about halfway through the 5 year plan now?

"Well I will say yes and with the profit we are making on the Penny Blossoms we have been able to divert some of that for the stores"

"How many of those have you sold anyway? Asked Natasha

"Several million" replied Penny

"So you are doing well financially, Penny just think about it even if it was just one store in New York"

"Part of having an exclusive brand is that people travel far and wide to come to us, you know that yourself Nat and the website is set up for worldwide sales and that's what's been happening"

"Yes I know"

"Look I have 15 minutes till my client arrives, I will go and email Raj to talk about what just happened and maybe we can make a plan or something" said Penny going back to her office

_**On Friday of that week**_, Raj invited everybody including Barbara over to his house for dinner and said that it was important that everybody attended, he had cooked beef Wellington and once everybody was settled down eating he told them why he had asked them there

"Ok the reason I have asked you all here is that the news that I am about to give Penny will require additional help from the majority of the group and we have seen in the past how helpful we all are to each other in times of need" said Raj

"Raj what's going? Asked Penny

"Ok, after you emailed me about possibly expanding the store, I did some research and found a business realtor in New York that lets out store units for a month on Saks Avenue to promote new businesses and I have checked that all of the new businesses have since gone onto to stay long term on Saks Avenue in different premises or in other locations in New York, although what we are doing may not be long term"

"Carry on" said Penny becoming interested

"Well Penny, I have provisionally booked one of these units for the store for a month with a one off rent of $30,000 from the 4th of January to 4th of February, the store is over two floors so you will have space for the men and women's wear collections, with the prices of the clothes we are selling we will more than make the rent back"

"Raj can I say that is brilliant but that is only two months away, how am I going to train people up and get all the stock in and remember I have Archie and Leonard to think about?

"Well that's where everybody else comes in" said Raj looking at Natasha and Mark, they immediately understood which led to others talking amongst each other

"Count me in" said Natasha as Mark also agreed, Penny noticed that Barbara Amy and Bernadette were in discussion

"Ok, Barbara has suggested going to New York to help look after Archie and because of that I can ask Rose's childminder to take on Marie and Richard as Amy is going back to work part time in January" said Bernadette

"This is all very well and I am grateful but I don't want to leave Leonard here on his own" said Penny

"Penny this is a fantastic opportunity, you have to take it and I can come and see you at the weekends" replied Leonard

"Leonard are you sure?

"Yes, Penny I know how important your business is to you, you had it before you and I got back together and I would never stop you from doing something like this and I am so proud of you"

"Oh Leonard, you are the best" said Penny giving her husband a hug

"Penny I feed kind of useless that I can't offer any help, if I wasn't working at Caltech I would offer to come with you" said Alex

"Alex I have already sorted that, Penny will need a full time manager here at the store during the week, Siebert has agreed to give you a month off but with no pay and Kelly will work at the weekends in the store, the men's store already has Mark's assistant David who can take over during the week so if Mark is coming then that solves that one" said Raj

"Raj you really have thought of everything haven't you" said Penny

"Well when I want something done, I make sure I do it properly, what do you say Penny, I only have to send one email to confirm and I already have details of a 4 bedroom apartment that can I rent for those of you that are going. We may need to advertise on the website for temporary staff though or go through an agency again"

"Are you going to come? Asked Penny

"Yes to help out for a few days, you also need to make sure you don't over exert yourself being pregnant as well"

"Ok then I can only say yes and while you are emailing the realtor can you just email the seamstress and ask them to give us a quote for everything that needs to be made"

"Yes of course"

"Ok, Sheldon and Amy while Leonard and I will still come to Texas for Christmas but I will be coming back early with Natasha to complete the final touches for the store"

"Penny that's ok, don't feel pressure to come" said Amy

"No I am coming I can get the majority of the work done before and leave Texas on New Years day,"

"Well that gives us 6 weeks to prepare then, also I think we should meet the realtor before that" said Raj to Penny

"Sure, just set up the meeting and we can go"

"Ok and I will advertise on the website that we will be having a pop up store in New York for a month, also I think we can throw in a few billboard adverts as well"

"You know by the time we finish there in February it will be pretty much the last time I will be able fly long distance until after I have had the baby so if you are planning more of these then it will have to wait until much later in the year"

"Lets just see how this one goes and if it works out well I can have a look around the country for more of these things"

"So we won't have a permanent base other than here?

"Not until we know for sure the market is there, Penny you remember our five year business plan, we need to grow slowly rather than rushing"

"I know, I am just very excited" said Penny

By the end of the following week Raj and Penny had gone overnight to New York to meet the realtor and view the store, the contract was signed for the rental and Penny had visited an agency in New York that supplied experienced store staff, Penny had also got things moving with the seamstress company and they were currently working to complete the large order, while they were there they visited the apartment that Raj was going to rent and secured a deal for that as well.

Penny and Amy had both received emails from Claire saying that the advert would first be shown between 7 and 730pm on the 30th of November, this was also the same day that Leonard and Penny returned from the hospital after their 12 week scan, they had discovered they would be having another boy which they were both very happy about

_**Next chapter up shortly**_


	21. Chapter 21

_**Smut alert!**_

Penny received details from the agency in New York of staff who were available to work and she and Raj had invited them over to work at her two stores for a week, Raj had also paid to put them up in a hotel whilst they worked

Penny found herself working the entire week they were there and by the end of it was feeling exhausted but happy that the plans were working out well, her baby bump was now starting to show more as well and Archie had been cuddling up to her more at night time and requesting sleepovers with Rose and Marie or in his own baby way "sleeps"

Marie had her plaster removed after she had to keep it on for a month and the bone had healed correctly which meant she was able to go back to nursery 3 mornings a week,

The week before Christmas and before they were due to go to Texas, Penny had flown to New York for three days with Raj, Natasha and Mark to set up the store, most of the clothing and accessory items had been sent and Penny was now working with the agency staff that had been supplied to arrange where everything should go, it was made clear to the agency staff that whilst Penny was in overall charge that Mark would manage the men's floor and that Natasha would manage the women's section, they were planning to offer the personal shopper service if it was required and Raj had been to see one of the advertising agencies to arrange for billboard posters to be put up in various locations, Penny had also made an advert which was being played on the HSN and NBC, on the day they were due to fly back to Pasadena Natasha made a suggestion

"Penny I wont be coming to Texas for Christmas, Mark and I can stay here and help finishing setting up, there are still more things to come and you need the holiday to rest because January is going to be so busy you wont know what hit you"

"Nat are you sure? Where will you stay?

"In the hotel until the apartment becomes available at the end of next week" said Natasha

"Actually there is nobody there now, I can always ask the owner if you and Mark can stay, we are already paying for it out of the business account and an extra week wont make any difference" said Raj

"Thanks Raj, we will be coming back to Pasadena anyway today and returning with more clothes as we only bought enough for the time we are here"

Penny returned home to find a very excited Archie waiting for her

"Mommy missed you" said Archie hugging her baby belly

"Oh I missed you as well, have you been good for daddy? Asked Penny

"Yes mommy"

"Good boy" said Penny hugging and kissing Leonard

"Archie wasn't the only one I missed" said Penny as Leonard kissed her again

"I have ordered a Chinese takeaway and it should be here soon, how are you feeling? Asked Leonard

"Tired, Natasha and Mark are going back to stay there, which I agreed to as I know its going to be very busy once everything starts up"

"Penny whilst I am supporting you just please be careful about overworking yourself"

"I know and I will do, are you going to stay in Texas until Sheldon and Amy come back?

"Yes that makes sense really, have you sorted out when you, Barbara and Archie are leaving?

"Yes I have spoken with Barbara about that and we are definitely leaving on January 1st"

"Mommy read story" said Archie coming back into the room with a book for Penny

"Oh maybe when its bedtime" said Penny picking him and giving him a big cuddle which caused Archie to giggle

"He looks just like you when you laugh Penny" said Leonard

"I would hope so" replied Penny

"I have spoken to my mom and she has said she will try and find time to meet up with you and offer any babysitting duties if you need it, I did tell her that you have Barbara coming with you though" said Leonard

"That was nice of her" said Penny

_**Two days after **_Penny returned from New York they found themselves back at the airport ready to go to Texas, the dogs were in crates ready to fly and the group were currently in departures waiting for their flight to be called, Marie and Archie were strapped into their pushchairs and Richard was in a baby sling on Sheldon

"You know Penny you will be able to see where Sheldon and I got married" said Amy excitedly

"Oh yes, that's true have you two got plans for your anniversary there? Asked Penny

"Yes we were going to ask you to join us at the restaurant where Sheldon proposed, although it will be for a lunchtime celebration" said Amy

"That will be nice then, thanks for asking us"

"Sheldon and I have booked a hotel room for tomorrow night so we at least will be able to wake up together just the two of us on our wedding anniversary, my mom and meemaw are having the children

"Lovely" replied Penny

Soon after their flight was called and they boarded the plane, Leonard had Archie on his lap and Barbara had Marie, Sheldon who hated flying had passed Richard to Amy and was currently clutching Amy's hand as if his life depended on it, Amy was trying to reassure him that everything would be ok and was whispering into his ear and giving him little kisses

They landed in Texas after a 5 hour flight and collected their luggage and then went to the animal arrival area to collect the dogs and went to the arrivals area where they booked rental cars and drove the short distance to Mary's house

Mary was the first out to greet everybody

"Oh look at my lovely grandchildren and my Shelley" said Mary as Missy and George came out of the house to help with unloading the cars and dogs

"Hi Mr Cooper" said Penny

"Penny don't you look great and with a little bump as well, hello Archie" said Mary as Archie tried to hide behind Penny

"I think he's just shy" said Penny

"Maybe, your parents are arriving shortly and Meemaw will collect them from the airport, now come on in and I can show you to your rooms" said Mary

Once inside the house Mary showed Leonard, Penny to Missy's old bedroom where she had set up a double bed for Leonard and Penny, she had left Sheldon's old bedroom for him and Amy and Richard and the room in between the bedrooms had Archie and Marie sharing which was George's old room

"By the way I borrowed a cot for Richard from one of the neighbours who no longer needs it" said Mary

"Thanks mom that was very helpful"

"Sheldon while you are all unpacking Missy and I will take the dogs for a walk" said George

"Oh thanks"

"Shelley come downstairs when you are done" said Mary going back downstairs

A little while later, everybody was unpacked and were currently sitting in Mary's lounge drinking tea and eating biscuits, Mary was cuddling Richard and Marie and Archie were playing together and George and Missy had returned from taking the dogs out

"Penny I hear you are leaving early, Sheldon told me about your plans"

"Yes it's very exciting and I wouldn't have been able to do it without Leonard's support"

"Well a husband's support is always good, I never had that with my horrible husband" replied Mary as Meemaw arrived with Penny's parents

"Hi Mom, dad" said Penny hugging her parents

"Well we can see you are glowing with your pregnancy and a cute little bump" said Hannah

"Oh yes, I have only just started to show the last couple of weeks" said Penny

"Have you thought of any names yet? Asked Wyatt

"Oh well Leonard and I have discussed it and we thought of three names we really like but we will choose for sure once he is born"

"What names are those? Asked Mary

"Oh, Matthew, Corey or Stephen" replied Penny

"Very nice, I am cooking a lasagne which will be ready shortly" said Mary passing Richard back to Sheldon and disappearing out to the kitchen

_**The following evening**_ Sheldon and Amy had left Marie and Richard with Barbara and Meemaw and had gone to a local hotel for dinner, Leonard and Penny had joined them and had left Archie with her parents who were also staying at Meemaws house

"Here's to a night off from the kids, apart from this one" said Penny pointing to her belly and raising her glass to her friends"

"Yes, although I do miss them" said Amy taking a mouthful of chicken

"Good tip by the way Sheldon about booking the hotel, Penny and I may need another night together before she goes to New York"

"Well it's a nice hotel, Amy and I stayed here when were here last and when we got married"

"Seeing as we are doing toasts, here is one for Penny, good luck with your New York venture" said Amy nodding at her

"Thanks" said Penny

They finished the meal and went off to their respective rooms, Sheldon and Amy sat around drinking from the mini bar and eventually went to sleep with Sheldon spooning Amy. In the morning they greeted each other with a lingering kiss, Amy responded by lightly tugging at his lip with her teeth and he pulled her closer to him

"Amy you drive me crazy in how much I want you" said Sheldon peeling off his boxer shorts while Amy took her nightie off

"Oh I can see how much you want me" said Amy getting back on the bed with Sheldon she teased him by getting on her hands and knees, Sheldon responded by grabbing her stomach and rubbing his erection against her bottom and rocking against her, he flipped her over and cupped her breasts then kissed her again gently moving his body against hers, the pulled her up so they were both kneeling on the bed, he took one of her breasts in her mouth and pushed his erection against her belly

"Sheldon have you got any condoms? Asked Amy

"Yes but I am not ready to do that yet, I just want to explore your gorgeous body" said Sheldon as he laid Amy back down on the bed and parted her legs, he was pushing in an out of her wetness and rubbing his arousal against her clit, continuing to lick and suck on her breasts, Amy was panting and moaning underneath Sheldon and he soon found himself needing to be inside her properly and put a condom on and kissing her he thrust into her, Amy wrapped her legs around his waist and pulling him deeper inside her, Amy came in a shuddering orgasm shortly afterwards and the sight of Amy in orgasm made Sheldon release his load

"Happy anniversary Amy"

"Same to you" replied Amy hugging him

"I think we should celebrate every day of our marriage like that" said Sheldon

"Oh I agree totally, love you very much" said Amy smiling at him

"Love you too and as much as I would love to stay here in bed all day with you, we had better get ready to go and collect the children" said Sheldon

"Sure" said Amy getting out of bed and going to the en suite to have a shower

They went down to the hotel restaurant for breakfast and were greeted by Leonard and Penny who looked very pleased with each other

"You two look happy" said Amy

"Oh we are, I just showed Leonard how much I was going to miss him and he showed me how much he would miss me" said Penny smiling at her husband

"Happy anniversary by the way" said Leonard "We did get a gift for you but it was too precious to fly here so you can have it when you get back to Pasadena"

"Thanks you two" said Amy as one of the porters came into the room and over to Amy

"I believe these flowers are for you Mrs Cooper" said the porter handing her a bunch of flowers and in the middle of the bouquet were three sunflowers which symbolised three years of marriage

"Thank you" said Amy looking at the card "Oh Sheldon these are beautiful" said Amy getting up and hugging Sheldon then kissing him

"Get a room you two" said Penny laughing

"Oh we have one and we made full use of it" said Amy winking at her

"TMI" said Penny

They all arrived back at Meemaws house shortly after 9am, Marie and Archie were having breakfast and Richard was still asleep

"He woke up twice in the night and the second time was at 5am so he might be ready for a feed soon" said Barbara

"Thanks and thank you for looking after them" said Amy

_**Christmas passed quickly **_with everybody having fun and enjoying each others company, Penny had spoken to Natasha and found that everything was now ready and set up for the store to open and on New Years day Penny found herself at the airport with Leonard and Archie and having a tearful goodbye, Barbara who was with them was standing discreetly to one side

"Penny I will be in New York the second weekend you are there, we can skype every night and promise me you will not overtire yourself"

"I promise" said Penny as her flight was called to go the gate, Leonard picked Archie up and gave him a hug

"Daddy will see you soon ok" said Leonard

"Ok bye Daddy" said Archie not really understanding at his young age of 17 months old

Leonard passed Archie to Barbara and kissed Penny and waved as they went off to the departure gate

"You ok? Said Barbara seeing how tearful Penny was

"I will be" said Penny as they went through security and into the departure lounge to await their flight

When they arrived in New York, Natasha was waiting for them, she had hired a car for the duration of their stay and after they packed everything into the trunk, drove off to the apartment that Natasha and Mark had been staying in for the last few days

"Penny you never told me before that it was a luxury penthouse apartment, its fantastic and it has a private lift" said Natasha

"Well if I am dragging my staff all the way across the over side of the country then I need to give them some comfort" said Penny

"Oh it's more than comfortable" said Natasha as they pulled into the underground car park of the building they were staying in and went up in the lift which by using a special key took them straight into the apartment entrance area

"Hi Penny, let me help you with all that stuff" said Mark

"Raj is coming later on today" said Natasha

"Yes we spoke on the phone last night, he is going to stay for all of the first week to help" said Penny

"Are you all hungry because I have cooked us a lovely dinner" said Mark

"Of course and I am eating for two remember" said Penny patting her belly

The next day Penny went to the store, she wanted to see for herself just how ready the store was, she had planned for the store to be set out just like her ones back in Beverley Hills. She had seen her advert on NBC the night before and had passed the billboard advert that was up in Saks Avenue and Raj had told her that there was hundreds of messages on the website from people in New York saying how happy they were that Penny was coming for a month and wishing her luck.

The following day Penny had arranged for all of the staff to go to the store so that she could assign duties and afterwards took them out for lunch to thank them for the help they would be giving her, Penny had advertised that the store would be open every day except for Sunday and would be opening on the Monday at 9am

On the Monday she and Raj were at the shop early, there was already people queuing outside, Penny greeted them with a smile and a hello and went inside. Penny hadn't been able to sleep much for nerves and excitement at the opportunity and she was now standing by the entrance with Raj and Natasha waiting for the clock to turn to 9am

"Ready?" said Penny looking to her sister and staff, they all nodded

"Then lets go" said Penny watching Natasha unlock the door

_**Next chapter up shortly**_


	22. Chapter 22

Penny watched as the queue of people entered her store, she could see from the clothing they were wearing that most of them were into designer labels, Penny had lowered the prices that she usually charged and it had been advertised on the website that they would offer personal shopper services and on the first day they had several people wanting Penny to give them ideas and that included in the men's section, at 6pm that day they saw the last customer out of the store and closed up

Back at the apartment Penny was feeling very happy about how the first day had gone and Barbara had cooked dinner for everybody, Archie was very happy to see her and was sitting on the couch having a cuddle with Penny while watching TV, she was due to Skype Leonard but she also knew that he was currently on the way back home from Texas so she sent him a text to Skype whenever he could

"You know Penny the store made $10,000 today alone, can you imagine how much more we will make over a month" said Raj

"I know and I hope we don't run out of stock, the seamstress company are working flat out making extra for us and they will be sent as and when they are done" said Penny

"You ok though?

"Yes and in the last few minutes I have felt the baby kicking for the first time, I mean I can feel him in there but he's never really been this active"

"Well you had a busy day, I would suggest taking regular breaks"

"Raj I need to be out there on show, I am the face of the business after all but I will do what you said" replied Penny

_**Meanwhile back in **_Pasadena, Amy, Sheldon and Leonard had just arrived back home from Texas and had invited Alex, Kelly, Bernadette and Howard over for takeaway night, Leonard had received Penny's text so went into the games room to Skype Penny, she answered straight away

"Hi Penny, hello Archie" said Leonard noticing Archie on her lap

"Daddy" said Archie pointing towards him

"Leonard how was your flight back?

"Yes it was fine, how was your first day?

"Oh it was brilliant and very busy, thank you for supporting me in this" said Penny as Archie got up and disappeared from the screen

"Your welcome, I know you would do the same for me" replied Leonard, they carried on talking for a few more minutes until the takeaway arrived and they signed off promising to speak again the next day

While Leonard and Penny were talking, Raj was Skyping with Kelly and she had news for him that had even surprised her and it was the first thing she said to him on seeing his face

"Raj I am pregnant, I can't be more than a month, how do you feel? I know it wasn't planned for another one so soon" Kelly had started to ramble but Raj stopped her

"Kelly it may not of been planned but who cares about plans anyway, when did you find out?

"This morning, I had been wondering as my cycle hadn't happened, are you sure you are happy with this"

"Absolutely, it will be good for Chandra to have another sibling close in age"

"Oh good, he is asleep by the way otherwise I would have had him here with me"

"That's ok"

"How was the first day"

"Yes it was very good, do you want me to come back?

"No it's ok, you said you would be there for a week to help out and that's ok, I got Bernie and Amy to help me if I need it"

"Ok, I will Skype you again tomorrow night ok"

"Sure, see you then, love you" said Kelly

"Love you too" said Raj signing off

"Does anybody want any wine? Asked Amy as Leonard and Kelly reappeared from their skype sessions

"Not for me thanks" said Kelly trying to hide her smile but nothing got past Bernadette

"You're pregnant?

"Yes I just found out today, I just told Raj and he is very happy which is a big weight off my mind"

"Why would you say that? Asked Amy

"Because Chandra is only just 7 months old and it's a bit soon but Raj says having the kids close in age will be fine and look at you and Bernie, yours are fairly close"

"Congratulations" said Sheldon nodding at her as Amy and Bernadette hugged her

"Thanks"

Back in New York, Raj had just passed on the news about Kelly, his news was received with excited squeals from Penny

"Its funny there is nearly always at least two of us pregnant at the same time" said Penny

"Maybe there is something in the air" said Raj

"Well as long as it doesn't come my way" said Natasha

"You like kids though" said Penny

"Yes but I am enjoying working, I spent so long with no money or work that I want to do as much as I can before I get in the family way" replied Natasha

"Fair enough I guess" said Penny as Archie came back in the room and sat on Natasha's lap

"Want Marie and Rose mommy"

"They are at home with their mommies, you can see them soon"

"Not now? Asked Archie

"Penny why don't you see if Leonard will bring either one of them when he comes next weekend" said Barbara

"Oh that might work and you will be able to spend time with Marie as well"

"Yes, you could always skype Amy now"

Penny had her laptop on the table so went over and Skyped Amy, she answered straight away

"Hi Ames, how you doing?

"Good, Leonard said the day went well?

"Yes it was great, can you bring everybody to the laptop I have a request"

"Sure" said Amy calling the others over

"Archie wants to see Marie and Rose and I was wondering if you would allow Leonard to bring them over next weekend?

"Well I have no problem with it, as long as Leonard can cope with two children on his own? Said Amy

"Yeah it will be fine" said Bernadette as Raj then appeared

"I am leaving on Friday evening to come back and I will return with Leonard the following week for the weekend and the start of the week when he comes so I can help, Kelly do you want to come" asked Raj

"I am working at the store, although that might be a problem if you going to New York, who will have Chandra" replied Kelly

"We will and we can take Cinnamon as well" replied Bernadette

"Can I just interject a moment, if Penny is ok with this then I will be happy to work all of next week and the weekend" said Alex

"Alex I will only agree to that if I can get some of the staff to swap shifts so that you can take the following Monday off" replied Penny

"This what I meant about people helping each other out" said Raj

"How was the store today Alex? Asked Penny

"Yes it was fine and I went over to check on the men's store like you asked and that was ok as well" replied Alex

"Good, Sheldon, Howard you ok with the girls going? Asked Penny

"Sure" said Howard as Sheldon nodded

"Ok I will book flights for those of you that are coming as long as you tell me all the days you are coming and going" said Penny

"Hi daddy" said Archie appearing on the screen

"Hello Archie, are you being good for mommy? Asked Leonard

"Yes"

"Good boy" replied Leonard

"Ok love you all" said Penny signing off

_**The next day at the store**_, Penny and Raj were in the office when Natasha came in saying a lady was on the main floor requesting to see them both, Penny followed her out to the lady

"Hi I am Penny Hofstadter, how may I help you? Said Penny shaking her hand

"I am Sarah Green and I am Director of Womenswear at Bloomingdales and I have a proposition for you, would you mind if we spoke somewhere more private?

"No of course come with me, Nat can you make her a drink please? Said Penny to her sister

"Sure" replied Natasha taking the order

Penny took Sarah in to the office and introduced her to Raj

"Raj, this is Sarah Green from Bloomingdales, Sarah this is my business partner Raj Koothrapalli" Penny watched as they shook hands and offered the lady a chair

"Ok the reason I am here is that yesterday I was asked by senior management to come and check out your store and the way you work, would you be interested in having a partnership? "Thanks" said Sarah as Natasha brought her drink in

"It depends on what you are talking about really" said Penny

"Ok, you have a permanent base in Beverley Hills and if you like we can rent you some floor space at our store here in New York and stock your collections for a small price obviously"

"That does sound interesting but as you can see I won't be able to do anything once I return back home until after this one is born" said Penny pointing to her belly

"Yes I know and this is the thing you won't have to do anything, presumably you have a good reliable supplier?

"Yes of course"

"All you will need to do is have them send the stock to our store and we will provide the staff and send you a daily report on what has been sold"

"How much rent would you want from us and presumably you would like a cut of whatever we sell" asked Raj

"Ok, we would like both a small selection of the men's and women's collections and accessories and if we say we have this partnership for one year with the option to extend if it benefits both us, I am sure you would like to expand? Asked Sarah

"Yes we were thinking about it but we are only 2 years into the business and whilst we are doing well, we didn't want to rush anything" said Raj

"Good plan, now I have been given a price to offer you and it is negotiable, you don't have to make a decision today but we would like to know by the end of the month, this is a good offer and you are already giving yourself exposure by coming here for the month, working with us will only enhance that and I am positive this will work for out for the best" said Sarah

"We agree that it's a good idea, it just depends on how much we have to pay" replied Raj

"You are obviously an already successful business, so if we say $250,000 all inclusive for the rental space, paying for staff and administration costs"

"Ok, you say you need to know by the end of the month? Asked Raj

"Yes, we have a contract drawn up already so whenever you say yes we can get started"

"We would like to visit your store first to see where you would plan to put our stock as well" said Raj

"Yes that's not a problem" replied Sarah

"Ok we will be in touch, do you have a business card? Asked Raj handing her his

"Yes of course and thank you for your time today" said Sarah smiling at them, Penny showed her out and returned back to the office

"Raj can we afford $250,000 that's a lot of money to risk"

"Penny I think the risks are worth taking, look at what we are doing here, this could have gone badly wrong with nobody being interested but we have been inundated"

"I know, I think we should do it, we have plenty of surplus funds from diverting some of the Penny Blossoms profits"

"I agree and we can make the money back through sales here and at our stores, Penny we as a company are financially stable, I am not going to say yes this week though" said Raj

"Why?

"I want them to think that we are really thinking about it"

"Ok but don't wait too long"

"Its ok Penny I will phone her on Monday and request a meeting with her at her store, I can get our lawyer to go over the contract as well to make sure we are getting the best deal possible"

"It does sound a good idea, the only thing I am worried about is not being able to be here but that's out of my control I guess"

"Penny if it helps I can come and check maybe once a month, she did say she would send daily reports to us"

"I know"

The following Monday, Raj and Penny went to see Sarah at Bloomingdales and she showed the areas where the collections would go, both Raj and Penny were happy about it and Raj emailed the contract to his lawyer to check it over and on Tuesday they signed the contract, after discussions and negotiations they had made arrangements for the partnership to start on March 1st as Penny wanted to make sure they had enough stock to send over

The next three weeks in New York turned out to be very busy and Penny took the Saturday off when Leonard arrived with Raj, Kelly and the two girls, Archie was very pleased to see them. The weekend after that Amy and Sheldon also arrived with Leonard in New York and everybody met up with Beverley for dinner at her apartment on the Sunday.

Penny had also spoken to her doctor in Pasadena who had given her an appointment her 20 week scan at the end of January in New York and she and Leonard had just arrived back at the apartment from the hospital after seeing their baby

"How was the scan? Asked Barbara

"Oh it was lovely seeing him on the screen, he is growing so big, as you can see from my belly" said Penny rubbing her belly as Archie ran up to her and she picked him up

"We were talking on the way back about what name we should give him from the three we have chosen" said Leonard

"Have you chosen one?

"Yes we are going to call him Corey" replied Penny

"Lovely choice" said Barbara smiling at them

"Yes and I am glad that we only have this week left at the store now, I am starting to feel very very pregnant" said Penny going to sit down on the sofa with Archie

"Are you going back to the store today? Asked Barbara

"I was going to but I was informed by my lovely husband and sister that I was not allowed to and that I must rest" said Penny

"Well I think they are right" said Barbara

"I know and I have been taking regular breaks as well"

"Good"

"I have to go to NBC tomorrow and make another advert for them so they can use it in the lead up to the March opening in Bloomingdales, also Leonard is bringing you to the store tomorrow"

"Oh, whys that?

"So I can buy you a suit or an outfit to say thank you for helping me with Archie"

"Penny you don't have to do that"

"I know but I like people to know they are appreciated"

"I can see why Amy thinks of you as her best friend"

"She is mine as well and I wouldn't have it any other way" said Penny smiling

_**Next chapter up soon**_


	23. Chapter 23

During January Amy had returned back to work part time she was mainly working on her brain specimens but also as she was Head of Addiction Studies she was working with her Assistant Grace for new plans to bring back a new phase of the Nicotine study she had performed on Monkeys previously. Once her mother returned back from helping Penny in New York she returned back to work full time

Richard was now 7 months old and thriving despite his early appearance, Amy was planning for Marie's 2nd birthday and the party that Marie wanted, at almost two she was very insistent that she wanted a bouncy castle just like Rose had. Amy and Sheldon had also bought the hot tub they had been thinking about getting and they were currently spending date night in it sipping wine after they had eaten and Penny was minding the children

"Sheldon are you going to invite your family for Marie's birthday?"

"I think so, also George mentioned in his last email that he is fed up with the building trade and was thinking about coming here to find work, would you mind if he stays with us for a while until he gets somewhere of his own?

"Of course not, he can stay in the loft conversion, there is plenty of space up there, did he say what he wanted to do?

"No but I will ask Penny if he can work in the men's store until he works out what he wants to do" replied Sheldon

"Sure, now lets enjoy what's left of the evening before we get the kids back" said Amy moving closer to Sheldon and kissing him, Sheldon then pulled Amy into him, still kissing and fondling each other, they were then interrupted by Daisy and Cassie who were in the garden laying down next to the hot tub as they spotted a squirrel on the fence at the end and they set about chasing it and generally making as much noise as possible

"So much for romance" grumbled Amy

"Come inside then" said Sheldon helping her out of the tub and carrying her indoors to the lounge where he placed her on the sofa and went over to the cd player

"You want to dance? Asked Amy

"Well it seems that is what we do now on date night and whilst I don't usually like dancing I find I don't mind when I am dancing with my wife" replied Sheldon

"That's so romantic" replied Amy

"Well I would hope so" said Sheldon as he pulled Amy up from the sofa and into his arms as they continued from where they left things in the hot tub

_**During February**_ Penny was busy with her new collections, she and Raj had several Skype sessions with Sarah at Bloomingdales and over the course of time, she had suggested to Raj and Penny that if the plan at the New York store worked out then they could probably spread to other stores around the country and had also suggested the possibility of including some of the collection at their Dubai store

Raj and Kelly during January had been for the first scan of the baby and it was confirmed that the baby would be born in August, Kelly had also stopped working at the Penny Blossom unit and was now working in Penny's store 3 days a week

The opening date for Penny's collection in New York had been put back a week to the 6th of March as there had been some delays with some of the accessories, it was at Marie's birthday party when Penny decided she would go to New York despite her doctor advising against it, Leonard was not happy either and made a suggestion

"Penny if you are going to then I will come with you, as your husband I need to look after you"

"I am going for two days so I am hardly going to wear myself out, I am looking after myself"

"Yes I know but I am still coming, my mother also suggested we stay at her apartment, she won't be there but her housemaid will be"

"Oh that's nice but will she be ok with Raj staying as well?" asked Penny

"Yes of course"

"You know Penny if you want to leave Archie here I will be happy to look after him" said Barbara

"Are you sure? Asked Penny

"Yes of course"

"Thank you, Archie come here a moment" called Penny to her son who was currently running around the garden with Marie and Daisy following them everywhere

"Yes mommy"

"Daddy and I have to go to New York for 2 days, Barbara is going to look after you"

"I not come? Asked Archie confused

"No its better you stay here but I will bring you back something nice" replied Penny

"Ok mommy" said Archie going off running again

"He's just like Rose was at that age" commented Bernadette

"A bundle of energy I know and he literally doesn't stop from when he gets up till the time he has to go to bed at night" replied Penny

"When are you flying to New York Penny? Asked Amy

"Sunday and we will be back late on Tuesday"

"Good luck I hope it works out as well as it did in January" said Amy smiling at her

"Oh it will, we have invested a lot into it and I want to make it work, that's why I have to go to show them how important this is to me"

"Penny I think they know that especially now" said Leonard

"I know, Leonard come here a moment" said Penny taking his hand and putting it on her belly, Corey was currently kicking a lot and you could see it as well

George decided now would be a good time to ask Penny about working in the Men's store

"Penny, I don't know if Sheldon mentioned to you that I was thinking of leaving Texas for a while, I am just fed up with the building trade and I was wondering if you had any work at the Men's store"

"Yes he did tell me and as it happens I do have a position available whenever you want to start"

"Oh really?

"Yes of course, Mark will train you up, he's a very good manager and will show you the ropes, wont you? Asked Penny looking to Mark who nodded

"Well I have brought enough things with me to stay for a few months so I guess I can start Monday"

"That's fine, usually I would ask for references but as I know you I won't bother, Leonard can you go and get me my laptop please" asked Penny

"Sure, why though?

"Contract for George, I can get him to fill it out online and I can print it later"

_**Penny, Leonard and Raj **_arrived in New York early evening and took a taxi to Beverley's apartment, Beverley's housemaid had cooked for them as Beverley herself was not home and at 8am on Monday morning Penny and Raj found themselves waiting outside Sarah's office, Penny hadn't told Sarah she was coming and Sarah was very surprised to see her

"Penny you should have stayed at home, I told you we had everything under control"

"I know but I hate relinquishing or delegating to others and I just wanted to be here for the start, my husband informed me that I was crazy but this is important to me"

"Yes I can see" replied Sarah "Did you want a drink or anything?

"No it's ok, I have water in my bag"

"May I ask what are your plans for today? Asked Sarah

"Well myself and Raj were going to be on the floor where the stock is and offer help to anybody that wants personal shopper service or advice, its what I have been doing the last two years and I know I am good at it, as I told my husband and Raj I am the face of the business so I need to be on show"

"That's not a problem but because you are essentially going to be working we need to let our health and safety department know because we will be legally responsible if anything happens to you, how long do you have to go now?

"8 weeks give or take and I hope to give birth in hospital this time" said Penny ruefully

"You didn't last time?

"No I had a very quick labour and ended up giving birth at home a week early"

"Oh dear, I had a home birth but that was by choice" replied Sarah looking sad

"May I ask why if that's not too personal? Asked Penny noticing the sadness

"Yes of course, I had a very long and bad labour with my first born and he unfortunately died soon after birth and whilst the hospital did everything they could, it just put me off giving birth in hospital again"

"I'm sorry, how long ago was this? Asked Penny

"Seven years ago, I had my twin daughters three years ago"

"You know Kelly wants to have a water birth" said Raj

"Yeah me too but it just depends on if any are available at the time" said Penny

"Ok enough talk about babies, I will take you to the floor where the collection is and introduce you, Penny you need to promise me that you will take breaks if you need it" said Sarah leading them away from the offices

"Promise" said Penny as she realised that she could have made a good friend in Sarah

Sarah took Raj and Penny to the store floor and introduced them to the staff that would be looking after the collection, a separate till and paying system had also been set up especially for Penny's collection

"Ladies, these are the owners of the collection we have here, Penny Hofstadter and her business Partner Raj Koothrapalli, they will be here observing and offering help should anybody require it" said Sarah as she introduced everybody to each other

"Sarah do you mind if I move a few things around, I don't like clothes touching each other" said Penny noticing the rails of clothing were too close to each other

"No by all means, also come by my office at 1pm and I will take you both out to lunch ok" replied Sarah leaving them to it and going back to her office

The store opened for business at 830am and having had a lot of publicity regarding the partnership Penny was expecting to see a busy day and she wasn't wrong, she had people asking if she would be opening a store in New York long term and tourists asking if they would open in Europe, Penny could only refer them to the website which had the European prices for all the goods they sold

By the end of the second day they had sold $15,000 worth of items and Penny felt very happy that things were working out well. Sarah then announced she would be flying back with them to visit her Beverley Hills store, Penny immediately offered Sarah her a place to stay at her house which Sarah accepted, she was only staying for two days

When they arrived at LAX, Amy picked them up and drove them home, Barbara was at Amy's house with Archie and Archie was very excited to see his mom and dad and intrigued at the visitor

"Mommy who this?

"This is the lady I went to see in New York, her name is Sarah" replied Penny picking Archie up and sitting down on the sofa with him

"Hello" said Archie smiling at her

"Hi Archie, your mom has told me a lot about you" said Sarah

"You like doggies? Asked Archie

"Yes of course, I have two myself" said Sarah as Marie came in followed by all four dogs, all of whom checked out the new visitor

"Sarah is staying with us for a couple of days to see mommy's shop"

"Ok, I go back in pool now" said Archie running out of the room with Marie and Barbara following them

"You are welcome to stay for dinner, I have enough for all of us" said Amy

"Amy are you sure? Asked Penny

"Yes I can get it started now and it will be ready in an hour"

"Ok I will take Sarah next door to unpack, how did George get on at the store?

"Ok I think, he's in the game room with Sheldon at the moment"

"I think I might join him then" said Leonard disappearing

Penny took Sarah and her own dogs back next door and led her up to the attic conversion with the en suite bathroom and left her there to unpack. Once she was done Sarah came down to the kitchen where Penny was making them drinks

"What time do you want to go to the store tomorrow? Asked Penny

"Whenever you are ready, I don't want to rush you"

"Well I have an appointment at 11am so I will need to be there by 10 anyway"

"Ok it was nice of your neighbour to cook dinner for us"

"Oh she's more than just a neighbour, she is my best friend and she and her husband are Archie's godparents and her mother is Archie's childminder"

"You are all very close then, especially with Raj just living a few doors down"

"Yes and I wouldn't of been able to do the New York thing for a month without all of their help" said Penny as she gave a brief explanation of the history of the friends

"It's also nice that you have your sister as manager of your store, somebody you can trust"

"Yes, this is her first proper job, she was pretty fed up back in Nebraska and when I first had the plan to open a store, she was the first persona I thought of to manage it"

"How long has the men's store been open? Asked Sarah

"Just over a year now"

"You know Bloomindales has an outlet in the Beverley Centre, I might show you tomorrow if we have time, we could also stock some of your goods there"

"Wow you really like my stuff then" said Penny

"Yes and it works out well both ways, people come into our store because they have heard your collection is there, they buy your outfits and they also buy ours so both of us profit"

"Yes I can see why that would be a good idea"

"My senior directors have basically given me full reign to go ahead and just use my instincts on this one and I think you and I will be working together a lot more in the future" said Sarah

"I am glad you have so much faith in my work" said Penny beaming at her and taking her back next door where Amy was feeding Richard while Sheldon was helping with the dinner

"Sheldon I would like you to meet Sarah, she is the lady in charge at Bloomingdales" said Penny

"Hi Sheldon, what do you and Amy do, Penny never said"

"Amy is a Neurobiologist and I am a Theoretical Physicist at Caltech" said Sheldon nodding at her

"I've called Natasha, Alex, Raj and Kelly over for dinner as well, may as well make the most of the evening" said Amy

"Howard and Bernie not coming? Asked Penny

"No they have gone to her parents" said Amy

Dinner was soon ready and the group sat down together talking about Penny's store plans and Sarah's work and the next day Penny took Sarah to her store and showed her around and once her client arrived invited her to watch how she dealt with the client, she then took her over to the men's store and afterwards Sarah then took her to the Beverley Centre store where she showed Penny where her collection could go if she chose to have one there, Sarah returned back to New York after a successful stay and Penny decided that she would go on maternity leave from the beginning of May, she also informed all of her clients that she would be unavailable for at least 3 months.

Raj and Kelly discovered at their 12 week scan they would be having a girl and had already decided to name her Anita

George decided he liked working at the store so much that he was now going to stay long term, Mary wasn't happy about her son leaving and said so and made Sheldon promise her that he would let him stay at the house all the while he was there

It had been decided by the group that as May 24th was Howard and Bernadettes wedding anniversary and also the anniversary of Sheldon and Amy meeting that they would have a joint celebration, they had decided to hold it at Sheldon and Amy's house and had a catering company make the food, they also had brought Leonard and Penny's dining room table over

It was while they were in the pool in the evening after the dinner that Penny who was also in the pool had been feeling contraction like pains for part of the day and then she felt her waters break and another contraction, not wanting to scare anybody just yet, she went inside the house and tried to stay calm, her next contraction came 15 minutes later and Amy who had noticed Penny was not outside came in and saw Penny laying on the sofa in agony

"Penny why didn't you tell me, I could of helped you"

"I know I didn't want to worry anybody, can you get Leonard and call an ambulance, I am not having another home birth, you are coming with me aren't you" asked Penny

"Sure, let me just get Leonard" Amy called Leonard in and was on the phone to the emergency services at the same time, Leonard came into the lounge and was holding Ppenny's hand and timing the contractions, Amy left with them after leaving Sheldon in charge of Marie and Barbara in charge of Archie and by the time the ambulance arrived the contractions were 10 minutes apart

Once Penny was at the hospital and settled into a private room her midwife came in and checked how far dilated she was

"Penny I would say it's not going to be very long now, you are 8cm dilated"

"Really? Said Penny as another contraction hit, she had Amy and Leonard either side of her holding her hands and Leonard was attempting to dab her head with a cold flannel

"Yes, do you want anymore gas and air?

"I would like an epidural so I can't feel this sodding pain but I guess I am too late" said Penny grimacing as the contraction continued

"You are doing very well and yes you are too late, just breathe normally" said the midwife

"I am trying, can I use the pool?"

"Unfortunately not, we only have two and they are both being used now" said the midwife

"You know Penny I would much rather of done this than have a caesarean" said Amy trying to be helpful, Penny just glared at her

"Amy I don't think that helps right now" said Leonard

10 minutes later after more contractions and Penny screaming in agony, the midwife checked how much closer Penny was

"Penny its time to start pushing, but only push when I say to" said the midwife as two other midwifes came into assist

"Aaaaaaaaaargggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh " yelled Penny as a massive contraction hit her

"Penny you are doing really well" said Leonard kissing her forehead and brushing her hair out of her eyes

"Leonard can you just sit and hold my hand, I have enough people fussing round me already" said Penny, Leonard realised he didn't need to respond as he knew Penny was just saying it and didn't mean it

"Ok Penny time to push" said the midwife, Penny pushed as hard as she could

"Ok that was good, now rest a moment until the next contraction, the baby's head is at the entrance, so another couple of pushes might just do it"

Penny nodded and tried to compose herself but the next contraction came and as she instinctively pushed, the baby came out in one go

"Well done Penny, that wasn't in the plan but congratulations" said the midwife as she checked the baby over

"Can I cut the cord? Asked Leonard

"Sure" Leonard cut the cord and the midwife took the baby to be cleaned and weighed and returned him back to Penny

"He weighs 7 pounds exactly" said the midwife handing the baby to her

"Thanks and he is all ok?" asked Penny finally being able to hold her son as he clutched her fingers

"Yes absolutely, I don't think he likes us nurses though" chuckled the midwife as the baby continued to cry

"Amy I would like you to meet Corey" said Penny

"He is beautiful, well done Penny and thank you for letting me be here" replied Amy

"As my best friend you are the only one besides Leonard I would have wanted"

"I am just going to go and phone Sheldon to let him know, give you two some time" said Amy

"Thanks" said Penny as Amy left, Leonard kissed Penny and then Corey

"So, home birth or hospital which do you prefer?

"Hospital for sure"

"Maybe the next one you might be able to have a pool birth"

"The next one! Chuckled Penny as she handed Corey to Leonard for the first time

_**Next chapter up soon**_


	24. Chapter 24

After Corey was born, Amy had gone to phone Sheldon and let him know, she already had Penny's parent's number and had phoned them as well, she had also left a message on Beverley's phone and with her housemaid, she then returned to the room where Leonard and Penny were

"Penny I phoned your parents and they said they will fly over in the morning, couldn't get hold of Beverley though" said Amy

"Oh Amy thank you, both Leonard and I left our phones at home, also the doctor says I can leave tonight if I want to"

"That's good then, are you going to?" asked Amy

"Yes"

"I can phone Sheldon back and he can come and pick us up"

"Yes why not"

"Penny you gave birth 40 minutes ago, are you sure you just want to walk out of here so quickly? Asked Leonard

"Yes, I am feeling fine, by the time the doctor comes back with the discharge papers and Sheldon has arrived I will have had a bit of a rest, Leonard I would rather just go home" said Penny

"I will phone Sheldon now, also I will ask him to get Natasha to find you a change of clothing"

"Oh, no need I have a bag packed in my bedroom just tell her that" said Penny

It was 10pm by the time Penny was able to leave the hospital, Sheldon had brought Amy's car which had more space for the baby seat to go in and soon they found themselves back at the house, their friends had stayed there to welcome them home

Leonard helped Penny out of the car and then took Corey from the baby seat and they walked into the house together and into the lounge where everybody was, Marie and Rose were asleep but Archie was wide awake and wanting to see his brother

"Mommy" said Archie looking curiously at the baby in her arms

"Archie this is Corey" said Penny showing him

"I hold? Asked Archie

"Yes if you sit down on the sofa there between Auntie Natasha and Kelly" said Leonard

"Tasha my auntie as well?

"Yes and you know that" said Penny as Archie sat down she put the baby in his lap, Natasha supported the baby's head while Archie just looked at the baby and then at Kelly's bump

"Mommy, Kelly baby? Asked Archie

"Yes Kelly is having a girl though" replied Penny but Archie wasn't really taking any notice and had gone back to staring at Corey

"Have you got a middle name for him? Asked Natasha

"Yes we are going to call him Corey Matthew Hofstadter" replied Penny as Archie bent his head down to kiss Corey on the head

"That's sweet" said Bernadette

"Making you broody? Asked Howard to his wife

"Yes and no, I think we have enough to deal with at the moment" replied Bernadette

"Thank goodness for that" said Howard as the others laughed at his relief

"I emailed Sarah to tell her as well" said Raj

"Great" replied Penny

As it was now getting late, everybody returned back to their own homes and the next morning Leonard and Penny received a large bouquet of flowers, not knowing who they were from she opened the card and saw a message from Sarah at Bloomingdales saying congratulations

"That's nice of her" said Leonard

"Yes I think I will Skype her shortly to say thanks and she can see Corey"

"Ok I have to go in to work shortly just to see Siebert and arrange paternity leave"

"What time are you going?

"Soon, but I will make sure you are not left alone, Barbara will be taking Archie and Marie to nursery anyway and she can come in after" said Leonard

Leonard had checked his emails before going into work and discovered a meeting request email from Siebert so went straight to Sieberts office, he found Sheldon waiting outside as well

"Hey, what are you doing here? Asked Leonard

"Same reason you are I guess, Siebert wants to see us" replied Sheldon shrugging his shoulders

They were both called in together, Siebert congratulated Leonard on the birth of Corey

"I have good news for the two of you and for you Leonard it will be a double celebration I guess" said Siebert

"Thanks but what's going on? Asked Leonard

"Dr Gableheiser has announced he is leaving and the board and I would like you and Dr Cooper to job share the role of Head of Physics"

"Why us and not somebody else? Asked Sheldon

"You two have been here the longest, your work is impressive and you both attract the most funding for the Physics department" replied Siebert

"When are we supposed to start this position? Asked Leonard

"He will be leaving in 3 months so I will require the two of you to work closely with Dr Gableheiser and his PA, Leonard I know you will need some time off and that's fine, we will need an answer from the two of you within two weeks though" said Siebert

"May I ask if we are job sharing what sort of salary we will get on top of our current one, also how are we supposed to fit in our current research and work? Asked Sheldon

"You share the salary obviously and the whole point of job sharing is that you will be able to fit your research in" replied Siebert

"Very well, I will think about it and let you know" said Sheldon

"Me too" said Leonard

"Don't keep me waiting too long" said Siebert showing them out, Leonard went straight home

_**Meanwhile Penny **_was speaking to Sarah on Skype

"Congratulations Penny, how are you feeling?

"Very happy, it wasn't awful either even if I did think I was going to have him at home again" said Penny telling her what happened

"I will be coming to see you tomorrow as I am having a meeting with the manager at the Beverley Centre store and it's mainly to sort out space for your collection"

"Oh that's great, how long are you staying for?

"Just one night"

"You can stay here with us if you like and I can pick you up from the airport?

"Thank you Penny but I wouldn't want to intrude"

"You won't be and I can probably come with you to the store"

"Are you sure you will be up to it?

"Yes I plan to rest when Corey is sleeping and Archie is at nursery this morning and Barbara has him for a couple of hours this afternoon, Leonard can mind the baby tomorrow seeing as it is Saturday anyway"

"You might want to get Raj to come then because I can bring the contract over for use of the store, also I will be landing at LAX at 2pm and leaving on Sunday at 10"

"Ok will do"

"Penny I have to go as I have a meeting but I will see you tomorrow and congratulations again"

"Thank you, see you later" replied Penny signing off

Corey then woke up for his feed and she started to think about future plans for the business and the partnership with Bloomingdales, they had charged $250,000 for the New York store and they were well on the way to making that back and a price of $50,000 for each store that would house their collection, the Beverley Centre store was the second one and they had plans to go possibly three others around the states, Penny didn't want to rely entirely on Bloomingdales for her success and was limiting it to 5 stores only and had agreed with Raj that they would think about the offer to have a collection at the Dubai store in the future

_**Sheldon went straight**_ to Amy's office after the meeting with Siebert, he wanted her views on the job offer

"What do you think? Asked Sheldon once he had explained the facts to her

"It's a very good opportunity, if I was you I would take it but do you want to take it?

"I don't know, I would have said no straight away if Siebert had asked just me to do it but because it's a job share with Leonard then I need to know that Leonard is ok sharing with me before I say yes"

"Then you and he need to sit down and talk about it and how you would work together" replied Amy

"You are right I guess, want to meet for lunch?

"Yes but it will have to be a short one, am very busy so could you get me something from the cafeteria and bring it here?

"Sure" replied Sheldon kissing her and leaving the office

That evening Amy and Sheldon went next door mainly to see Penny and the baby and mainly for Leonard and Sheldon to discuss working together, Penny had given Leonard the same advice Amy had given Sheldon and the two men were in the game room playing games and talking

"I am happy to work with you Sheldon and if you are happy to work with me then I think we should say yes to it" said Leonard

"Anybody else and I would have said no" replied Sheldon

"So is that a yes?

"Yes"

"Good glad we got that out of the way" said Leonard getting back to the game they were playing

_**The next day**_ Penny picked up Raj and they drove to the airport to meet Sarah and then went on to visit the Bloomingdales outlet that was going to sell Penny's collection, Penny was happy about the location of where the stock was going to go and they returned back to the house to sign the contract and for a BBQ next door that Amy insisted on doing to help Penny and Leonard and when they tried to protest Amy said it was in thanks to them helping her when she went through her emergency last year, Sarah was also happy to meet Corey and the rest of the friends again

"When will the collection be in the store here Penny? Asked Natasha

"As soon as we can get enough stock in, so probably around the middle of July, the seamstress company are working on it now, they have been brilliant this year with all the extra work we have given them"

"Mommy want to go pool" said Archie coming up to her

"Daddy will take you in there, mommy has to rest"

"Why?

"Because two days ago I had a very tiring experience which produced Corey"

"No daddy, want Tasha" replied Archie as Marie and Rose also requested to go in the pool, Natasha, George and Howard found themselves in the pool house minding the children while Sheldon cooked the food on the BBQ

"July works for us Penny, we had kind of planned for that " said Sarah

"Well once my maternity leave is over I will be able to go and visit the other stores we talked about as well" replied Penny

"Sure but don't rush yourself, you need time with your baby first before business" replied Sarah

"Sarah I have a swimming costume if you wanted to swim? Asked Amy

"Oh thanks maybe later though" replied Sarah

"I never asked but what are your girls names? Asked Penny

"Mia and Jade" replied Sarah as she showed them all a photo of them on her phone

"Pretty names" commented Amy

"Did you name your son that died? Asked Penny

"Yes we called him Jacob as that was what we were going to name him anyway"

"I can't imagine losing a child, it must have been very hard" said Penny

"It was but as time passes you learn to deal with it, you never forget but you can move on" said Sarah

"I have champagne to wet the baby's head" said Amy trying to cheer everybody up and change the subject

"Goodie, are we having it now or later? Asked Alex

"Now is a good time as any, let me just get the others in and we can do it" replied Amy

"Alex do you live nearby? Asked Sarah

"Yes Natasha and I are roommates in the block opposite Raj's house" replied Alex

"You all appear very tight, I like that in a group of friends, I have a house in New York and you are all welcome to come and stay if you ever come to visit" said Sarah as Amy came back with the others and poured everybody a glass of champagne

"I just want to raise a toast to Leonard, Penny and Archie on the new addition to the family, to Corey" said Amy as everybody followed suit

After the food had been served and eaten most of the group went into the pool, Penny decided to not go in and relaxing in a sun lounger with Corey, Kelly was also not in the pool as she was in a very uncomfortable stage with her pregnancy, she only had 9 weeks to go and the baby was moving constantly, Raj was with Chandra in the pool

"Penny if you are able to then I would like you to be my birthing partner, without you asking me to manage the Penny Blossom unit, I would still be stuck at the Cheesecake factory going nowhere fast, I would never have met Raj and had this wonderful life that I have had the last 2 years"

"Of course I will be there, I was there for Amy when she had Marie and it was a wonderful experience and for the record, working with you at the Cheesecake factory was the only thing worth being there for" replied Penny

"Look at us getting all soppy" said Kelly

"That will be the hormones then" said Penny

_**Next chapter up soon**_


	25. Chapter 25

_**Major smut alert towards the end of the chapter**_

During Saturday with Sarah, Penny had heard from her parents, they would be flying out to LA on Sunday arriving at 9am, Penny arranged with Leonard to take Sarah to the airport and wait to pick up her parents, they arrived back at her house shortly after 10am very excited to see their newest grandchild, Natasha had also just arrived to see her parents, they had decided to keep it just family for the day and have their friends over the following evening

"Hi Mum, Dad glad you could get here so quickly" said Penny greeting them once they had settled in

"We would have come yesterday but all the flights were fully booked, how are you feeling? Asked Hannah

"Ok I didn't have a long labour so apart from Corey waking up several times during the night its been a very happy three days"

"Yes Leonard told us on the way back that you was out visiting Bloomingdales yesterday" replied Hannah

"Nanna" shouted Archie as he came into the kitchen

"Hello how are you? Asked Hannah

"Ok, Corey here" said Archie

"Yes, do you like him? Asked Hannah again

"He's ok" replied Archie leaving the room again

"That was short and sweet" commented Wyatt

"Yes he pretty much does that all day, asks questions and goes away and repeats, Corey will be awake shortly so you will be able to see him" said Penny

"Have you had breakfast? Asked Leonard

"No not yet, we had a little snack on the plane but it wasn't a lot" replied Hannah

"Ok go upstairs and unpack and I can get something started" replied Leonard

"Thank you Leonard" replied Hannah

"How long are you staying for? Asked Penny

"Just a week but once we have made proper arrangements for farm cover then we will be back later in the year, most likely for Archie's 2nd birthday in August" replied Hannah as Corey could be heard crying through the baby monitor

"Good timing, I will just go and get him" said Penny, as she brought him back down and passed him to her mother, he stopped crying and stared up at Hannah wide eyed

"Look at that I am the baby whisperer" said Hannah

"Yes" said Penny as she received a text on her phone "Leonard can you take the dogs next door, Sheldon and George are going to take them for a walk, Archie did you want to go for a walk with Marie?

"Yes" replied Archie

"Ok, daddy will take you next door then" said Penny as Leonard gathered up the dogs and Archie, he returned a few minutes later and resumed making the breakfast while Hannah and Wyatt went upstairs to unpack, Penny had put them in the loft conversion for their stay

_**Penny enjoyed**_ having her parents to stay, they helped her with the baby and took Archie to nursery the 3 days he went and on the last day they were, there, they invited all the friends over for the evening

Amy and Sheldon also became registered fosterers for the local dog shelter after they were asked to look after another dog for a few days and over the course of a few months they had several dogs come to stay and even managed to persuade Howard and Bernadette to adopt a female Labrador called Goldie

George had now decided to stay long term and was enjoying working at the Men's store, Mark was giving Penny good reports on his work and he was still staying at Sheldon and Amy's house and Sheldon had given him a loan to buy a car, George repaid after he managed to sell his previous car to relative back in Texas

Leonard returned to work two weeks after Corey's birth and with Sheldon they went to President Siebert's office to confirm that they would take the position available

"Very good, we will have the contracts for the position written up and you will need to spend at least one day a week for the next couple of months with Dr Gableheiser and just the general idea of what he does, you will share his PA also" said Siebert

"Is this going to be announced to the University? Asked Leonard

"Yes and another thing is that we have another benefit evening in three weeks time and we expect you both to be there" replied Siebert

"Just for the Physics department? Asked Sheldon

"No for the whole University"

"We will be there President Siebert" replied Leonard

"Good, now I have a meeting so you may go" said Siebert showing them out

While Penny was on maternity leave she was still being kept informed of the plans for the Beverley Centre store and Sarah had also confirmed that the other three stores that would stock her collection would be phased in over the next few months, Raj had gone on a flying visit to all three which had been agreed and they were in Orlando, Dallas and Philadelphia and whilst he was at each location he Skyped Penny to show her where the collection would go, it had also been confirmed the Beverley Centre store would start selling the collection from the beginning of August

During July it was decided that as Rose, Rebecca and Richard had birthdays within two weeks of each other that they would hold a joint party, it happened to be on Rebecca's birthday and Raj had offered to hold it at his house as Kelly was only a few weeks away from giving birth and he didn't want her more tired than she already was, she was currently in the garden of the house chatting with her friends

"My parents are going to come out here after the birth" said Kelly rubbing her belly as Anita kicked and moved about

"Oh that's nice, it must be difficult with them living so far away" said Bernadette

"Yes but I have all of you to help and support me" replied Kelly

"You know I can't believe Rose is 3 already" said Bernadette watching her daughter order the other kids about

"Yes and she takes after you so much with the bossyness" said Howard as he helped to feed Rebecca who was turning one

"Normally I would take offence but that's actually very true" replied Bernadette

"Richard has just started walking this week" said Amy watching Sheldon swim in the pool with him

"Rebecca has as well, Rose was a bit earlier though" said Bernadette as Penny's phone started to ring

"I go inside and take this, can you watch Corey" said Penny looking at Amy and disappearing into the house as she noticed it was Sarah video calling her

"Hi Penny how are you doing?

"Very good, I am just at Raj's house having a joint party for the kids"

"That's nice, look I will be over next week for the launch of your collection, like you I like to keep on top of things" said Sarah

"What day are you coming? You can stay with us again"

"Sunday evening and going back Tuesday morning, thank you for the offer I will probably take you up on that"

"I can't say if Raj will be there as Kelly is due to give birth sometime in the next two weeks"

"That's ok, its going to be a very quick visit, also just to let you know on the grapevine, my senior directors are recommending we extend the contract from one year to ongoing, we have seen fantastic interest in your collection in the New York store"

"That's excellent" said Penny happily

"Yes they also liked my idea of increasing the collection as well"

"Really?

"Yes but that can wait for another time to talk about, I have to go as I have family coming over, see you next week Penny"

"Ok bye" said Penny as she went back and told Raj about what she had been told

"That's great Penny, but just because something like this is being dangled and it's making us lots of money, you don't want to lose track of your own business" said Raj

"How can I lose track of it? Asked Penny confused

"I have seen things like this when the big companies come in and dangle things to the little people and the next thing you know they have swallowed up the competition"

"Raj I thought you would have more faith in me, that's why I am limiting it to five stores only" replied Penny looking a bit cross

"Sorry Penny I am just trying to be cautious"

"No its fine, I am not going to be giving them everything, I still want the store here to be our flagship store and who knows what will happen in the future, we may not have to rely on Bloomingdales for future success"

"You are right, in a few years that could be us with our own store on Saks"

"You are damn right" replied Penny

"Everything ok? Asked Leonard noticing the tension having heard the conversation

"Yes, Raj and I were just discussing the future of the business"

"Sounded very heated" commented Leonard

"Yes well that's what happens when you care about something" said Penny

"Anybody want more wine? Asked Amy as Sheldon joined her on the sun lounger from the pool and lay next to her kissing her

"I will and I have something special at home just for you and me" said Sheldon

"Oh what's that? Asked Amy as she snuggled into her husband

"I can't tell you in front of these people" replied Sheldon as he whispered something into her ear

"You two need to get a room" said Penny watching them

"We have one at home and we will make full use of it tonight" winked Amy

"We can't help it if we are in love and want to show that to everybody" added Sheldon

"Are you drunk? Asked Raj

"Only drunk in happiness, I have a wonderful family, great friends and Leonard has agreed to job share with me" replied Sheldon

"Definitely drunk" replied Raj as he noticed Kelly making faces "You ok?

"Yes, just uncomfortable that's all" replied Kelly

"It will be over soon though" replied Penny

"I know I just wish it was now" said Kelly

"You know there are things you can do to help that" said Penny going on to tell her

"Yeah I would if I had the energy" said Kelly

"Mom would you mind taking Marie and Richard to your house tonight and bring them back tomorrow? Asked Amy

"Sure, any time in particular?

"After 10am will do" replied Amy laughing as Sheldon kept tickling her

"Barbara will you be ok minding Corey as well as Archie when I return back to work? Asked Penny

"Yes of course, why wouldn't I be?

"Just that you will have four children to look after and I didn't want to overwork you" replied Penny

"Its not a problem, Marie and Archie are at nursery 3 days a week anyway, if I find I can't cope then I will say something but I enjoy looking after them as well"

"Ok only if you are sure then" said Penny

"Also Penny and Amy I just wanted to let you know I have recently completed a child care course so I am now fully qualified" said Barbara smiling at them

"You didn't say you were doing that" replied Amy

"Yes I know I did it at night school, I am also now registered with the council as a Child Minder"

"Mom I hope we are not going to lose you to some rich family who need a full time nanny" asked Amy jokingly

"Nothing will keep me away from my grandchildren and all of you" replied Barbara

"I am just going to pop back home and get the kids stuff together so you can take it with you" said Amy to Barbara

"I think I will join you" said Sheldon

Once they had left Rajs house and walking back down to their own house, Amy questioned Sheldon

"What's gotten into you today, you are being very affectionate" said Amy taking his hand

"I am just very happy" said Sheldon stopping in the middle of the pavement and kissing her

"Gosh, yes I see, come on lets get in" replied Amy leading him into the house, she made her way up to the kids rooms and collected some overnight things and as she went to go down the stairs, Sheldon took her hand and led her to their bedroom

"I want to finish off what we started outside" said Sheldon as he kissed Amy and pulled her closer to him

"I do as well but the quicker I take this stuff over the road, the quicker I can get back to you" said Amy

"Alright don't be long then, I will go wait in the hot tub" replied Sheldon

Amy left and returned five minutes later, she went straight into the garden and over to the hot tub where Sheldon was, she got in and greeted him with a lingering kiss and wrapped her legs around his

"With regards to what you said coming over, sometimes I like having you to myself and your mom loves taking the kids so why not take the opportunity you know" said Sheldon once they stopped kissing for a moment

"Yes I like all your ideas, also George said he would be back much later" replied Amy kissing him again as they rocked against each other in the tub

"Good, you know I cant get enough of you" said Sheldon kissing Amy's neck and fondling her breasts, this made Amy shiver with lust as she reached into his boxers and started to pump his arousal, she could hear Sheldon moaning with desire as he gave her breasts little kisses, Sheldon then untangled himself from Amy and got out of the tub and helped Amy out and carried her back into the house

"Where are we going?

"Upstairs, you are driving me insane" replied Sheldon as he made his way up the stairs and into their room, he laid her down on the bed and by the time he had took his boxers off, Amy was already naked on the bed waiting for him, he got onto the bed in a position where Amy could take his arousal in her mouth

"Amy finish off what you started down there, you can see how much I need that" said Sheldon as Amy first off started pumping his arousal again and then she took it in her mouth and started sucking, within a few minutes Sheldon could feel that he was about to come and withdrawing his arousal and in total elation he shot his load over Amy's chest, he then collapsed onto the bed next to her trying to recover his breathing while Amy watched him

"Was that good for you? Asked Amy

"You know it was" replied Sheldon kissing her and promptly dozing off, Amy took the opportunity to go and use the mouthwash in the bathroom and clean up and then returned to the bedroom where Sheldon was now awake

"I thought you had gone" said Sheldon patting the bed to indicate for her to join him

"No just cleaning up" replied Amy as saw that Sheldon was more than ready to go again

"This time I am going to do some good stuff on you" said Sheldon

"Oh yes and how are you going to do that" said Amy smiling at him

"I have my ways" replied Sheldon rolling on top of her and kissing her, Amy took his hand and guided it to her crotch area, Sheldon knew what she wanted and they continued to kiss as he teased her clit until she was ready to burst

"Sheldon I need you inside me now" said Amy reaching over and taking a condom and putting it on Sheldon, he entered her and slowly thrust away enjoying teasing her clit, Amy wrapped her legs around his bottom to get more penetration from him and reached up to lick and suck his nipples, Sheldon stopped for a moment before kissing her hard on the lips and pushing himself deeper into Amy, she orgasmed shortly afterwards and lay under Sheldon trying to breathe properly again as he also shot his load

"I think we can safely say we have made the most of alone time" said Amy a little white later as they lay cuddling in bed

"Yes, if you're lucky there might be more later" said Sheldon smiling at her

"Only if I am lucky? What about if I do something bad? Asked Amy as she stroked his face and kissed him

"Then I would have to spank you very hard indeed" replied Sheldon

_**Next chapter up shortly**_


	26. Chapter 26

_**The following week **_the launch at the Beverley Centre went ahead, the first week had a slow start, which made Penny wonder if having two outlets in the same area was the right idea, she happened to be at the store with a client late one afternoon when Kelly went into labour one week after her due date and she only made it to the hospital after Anita had been born, Barbara was minding Chandra until Amy got home from work to help

"Sorry Kelly I will be here for you if you have another one"

"Hey that's ok, Raj was great and he didn't faint this time"

"That's always good" replied Penny as Kelly passed her the baby

"She weighed 6 pounds though"

"How are you feeling?

"Ok a bit emotional that sort of thing you know" replied Kelly

"Where is Raj anyway?

"Oh he has gone to phone his parents and my family, hopefully if Priya comes she won't try and cause problems again" replied Kelly

"Well if she does she will be very stupid" said Penny

Kelly was allowed home the same day, the friends gathered at the house to welcome her home with the baby, Chandra at just 14 months old was very excited to see his sister and even though he couldn't formulate proper sentences yet, he made it clear that he wanted to hold his new sister

"Yes but only if you sit still and don't move ok? Said Kelly, Chandra didn't answer and toddled his way to the sofa where Cinnamon was sleeping and sat down, Raj moved the dog off the sofa and sat down as well and Kelly was then able to put the baby in Chandra's arms

"Look I hold" said Chandra

"Yes and Mommy is very happy" said Kelly

"Anita Koothrapalli has a nice ring to it I think" said Raj

"I hope we have a daughter next time" said Penny

"Why? Asked Leonard

"So I can dress her up of course, I can't really do that Archie, he just lives in his shorts and t shirts"

"Ok, Penny hypothetically talking if you had a girl what would you call her? Asked Amy

"There are lots of names I like but I want something really girly like Precious"

"We are not calling our daughter Precious, hypothetically or not" replied Leonard

"Why not? Asked Penny

"It's a silly name and she will get teased at school" said Leonard

"Are you two really having this discussion? Asked Bernadette looking at them in surprise

"Oh yes I forgot we are here to celebrate the arrival of Anita" said Penny

"Are you parents coming? Asked Amy

"Yes, they will be arriving in a couple of days" replied Kelly

_**A few weeks passed **_and by the middle of September, Penny and Raj after much discussion pulled the collection at the Beverley Centre as it wasn't creating enough sales for the targets set, Sarah suggested they moved the collection to the San Francisco store instead. Penny and Raj made a quick visit to see the store and agreed. The three other locations also had their collection arrive at the beginning of September and had good sales

At the beginning of October Penny was at home in the evening when she discovered she had a problem, as Mark was headhunted by Dolce & Gabbana at their Las Vegas location, his assistant David who Penny would of promoted to Manager also went with him, They both left immediately, Natasha was so furious that she ended the relationship with Mark telling Penny that family comes first

Penny went next door to Sheldon and Amy's house

"Hi you guys is George in?

"Yes he's just getting changed, what's up? Asked Amy

"Oh store dramas, Mark has gone and so has his assistant"

"What? Just like that with no notice? Asked Amy again

"Yes I found out a few minutes ago, Natasha is very angry" replied Penny as George came in to the kitchen

"Hi Penny"

"George good, how do you feel about managing the Men's store?

"You want me to manage the store? Asked George in surprise

"Yes, I had good reports from Mark about you and since he and David have now gone, I want you to be the store manager from tomorrow"

"Thank you Penny I won't let you down"

"I know you wont, I have asked Natasha to come and help you out for a few days to help you learn the ropes and also I will send you on a management course, I have spoken to Raj and he agrees with my decision, a contract will be written up as well"

"Did Natasha break up with Mark? Asked Amy once she had caught up with the conversation

"Yes they were at the apartment and apparently Mark said she should go with him as he had put in a good word for her to get a like for like position there" replied Penny

"Bet that didn't go down well" said Sheldon

"No she told him that they were over and after taking the keys for the store off him she kicked him out of the apartment"

"Where is she now? Asked Amy

"Alex is with her now trying to calm her down, I have seen her angry before but not for a long time and its not something you forget"

"Do you think she would appreciate an invite over for an impromptu girl's night? Asked Amy

"I don't know, it's a nice thought though, Leonard is minding the kids and I am going to go and see her now anyway" said Penny as her phone beeped with a message

"Oh that's good, David didn't return the store keys so Raj has changed the locks on the Men's store and received new keys, he will bring them over shortly"

Penny went off to see Natasha and returned to Amy's house with her and Alex not long after

"Natasha if you need something to help relax you, Daisy loves cuddles it's very therapeutic" said Amy

"Thanks Amy"

"Come through to the lounge and you can sit down, I have brandy if you want some?

"Thanks, you know I don't even care that I am not seeing Mark anymore, I am just so mad that he thought I would choose him over my family, it kind of shows what is really like and I never saw that side of him before"

"If it helps I think you made the right decision, no man should ever try and control a woman" said Alex as Marie came into the lounge with Sheldon

"Hi Tasha, want cuddle" said Marie climbing on to Natasha's lap

"Look at you in your lovely pyjamas, are you going to bed? Asked Natasha as Marie made herself comfortable

"Yes, George reading me story first"

"That's nice" replied Natasha

"Richard is finally asleep Amy" said Sheldon

"Good, why don't you and George go next door to hang out with Leonard, I will take Marie up in a bit"

"Are you sure?

"Yes go have some fun" smiled Amy as Sheldon and George left quickly, followed by Penny who brought Archie and Corey over, Marie and Archie went upstairs to play in Marie's bedroom

"They can have some noisy game time while we gossip over here" said Penny putting Corey down in the play pen

"I am surprised you are not more stressed about what happened Penny" said Amy

"Yes well these things happen and it just happened to be luck that George has been working at the store for the last 6 months and I know I can trust him to do a good job, Nat will train him up good and proper" replied Penny

"Glad you have faith in me as well then Penny" said Natasha as she realised Amy's suggestion of cuddling Daisy was working

"Well I do, oh that reminds me I must let Christine know she will be in charge tomorrow as you are at the other store, I have two appointments but not till the afternoon" said Penny

"Are you going to get more staff in for the Men's store as cover? Asked Natasha

"Yes, I will ring the agency in the morning and also ask the weekend staff if they want some more shifts, also Nat when George goes on the management course, I will need you to manage the Men's store, it will only be for a week"

"Sure, you know you can rely on me" replied Natasha

"Yes I know and that will be reflected in your next pay packet" said Penny

"Don't tell Sheldon or Raj this but I am seriously reconsidering my career plans" said Alex

"What do you mean? Asked Penny

"I cant keep on doing two different jobs, I hardly get any rest days so I think I will be making a decision at the end of the year, I am supposed to be shadowing Raj in his chosen field until June but there is no guarantee of a job at Caltech after it and I have enquired at the other Universities and they only want experience" replied Alex

"So does that mean if you leave the science fields, you would work full time for me? Asked Penny

"Yes and I would be happy to continue working at the weekend in a manager role and during the week as Natasha's assistant manager, although only if you approve of course"

"Alex I would more than approve, the more people I have working in my stores that I know and trust the better as far as I am concerned"

"Thank you, I will inform you in due course" replied Alex

"Sheldon and I were talking recently about holding either hosting a firework party or having everybody dress up in Costumes for Halloween" said Amy

"I think fireworks will be more fun but you might want to do a group vote on it" said Penny

"Maybe If I send a quick text asking, not sure when we are going to get together again in time to make a decision and start planning" said Amy

"You have fireworks from me" said Natasha

"Me as well" said Alex

"So that's five including me and Sheldon, just another 7 to go" replied Amy quickly writing a message and sending it, all the replies she received back said fireworks

The next day Natasha met with George in the Men's store, Penny had sent all the staff an email explaining what happened and that she had promoted George to Manager and that Natasha would be helping out for a few days and also that Penny would have one of the current staff as his assistant, she hadn't decided who yet though, she and Raj would need to have meetings with the staff to decide who was best for that

The following week George went on the management course and with Natasha helping him in the store, he started to find managing extremely satisfying, he was also having more of the men asking him for style and fashion tips which never happened in Texas, Penny and Raj came into the store the week after the course with news for him

"Ok, here is the contract for you to sign to be manager and also you will be getting a raise and after three months that will be increased depending on performance" said Penny passing him the contract

"Have you decided on who will be the assistant manager yet? Asked George

"Yes we had interviews last week and we have appointed Scott, he impressed us with the most during the interviews"

"Oh that's good, he is very good with the customers" replied George

"Also we have arranged an open meeting with all staff for this evening after the stores shut, it will be over the road" said Penny

"Ok I will be there"

Later that day all of Penny's staff had made it to the store and they were currently in the staff room waiting for Penny and Raj to appear

"Hi everybody thank you for coming, as you know we have been branching out around the country with this shared partnership with Bloomingdales and it has been a great success so far and combined with how well the two stores are doing here, we wanted to share that success with you all" said Penny

"How do yo mean? asked Natasha

"Penny and I have been talking and everybody will receive a 6% rise in their salary from January and a $5000 bonus at Christmas" said Raj

Everybody looked very happy with this news and they all thanked Penny and Raj

"Also we will be continuing with monitoring everybody's performances and getting feedback from customers and clients to ensure that you are all working to the standards we expect but none of you have let us down so far and for that we are grateful" said Penny

"Does anybody have any questions? Asked Raj nobody had any so he said they could all go apart from Natasha, Alex and George who stayed

"Thanks Penny, Raj that was very generous" said Natasha

"Well I don't want to lose anymore staff and I found out what Mark was getting and it wasn't that much more then he was getting now, if he had asked or waited he could have had a rise but it's his loss"

"You know everybody admires you two because you look after the staff" said Alex

"Happy staff make for good work performance and that makes for happy customers which make us happy" said Penny

"Yes I guess"

A few weeks later and it was now November, Amy and Sheldon had been planning for fireworks night and had provided lots of food and drink for the occasion, all of the he dogs were taken on a very long walk before the party started so they would be tired out and not be scared of the noise, they had the BBQ on for the food as despite not being summer it was a pleasantly warm day and the party had been renamed as a fireworks and pool party, all the children that could swim were currently in the pool being supervised by various adults, music was being played as well

"Drinks up everybody" said Amy coming out of the house with Sheldon each carrying a tray of drinks"

"Oh thanks Amy" replied Penny

"Do you need any help with the food? Asked Alex

"No its ok, the BBQ is heating up now and it will be started soon enough, I just need to sit down so I can enjoy the party now" replied Amy noticing Natasha and George in the hot tub talking and then getting out and coming over to them

"Hi, Natasha and I wanted to talk to you both, Sheldon can you sit down as well" said George

"Sure, whats going on? Asked Sheldon

"Well we hope that it is not weird for you, but Natasha and I have been on a few dates and we have decided to continue dating" said George

"Oh that's sweet, how did that come about? Asked Penny

"Mark came into the mens store about three weeks ago when I was helping George and demanded to talk to me, George threw him out and it kind of started from there really" said Natasha

"George is a hero then" said Amy smiling at him

"Well we are very happy for you both" said Sheldon

"I take it Mark hasn't been back? Asked Penny "Also why did nobody tell me?

"The police came and took him away and threatened to arrest him if he came anywhere near the store again, you have enough to deal with Penny and it's sorted now" replied Natasha

"Ok but in future please tell me or Raj" said Penny

"Sure you got it"

Sheldon then went back to the BBQ and started cooking and serving food and the rest of the group soon discovered for themselves that George and Natasha were dating as they went back to the hot tub and started to fool around kissing and splashing each other

"It's like watching Sheldon and Amy when they can't keep their hands off each other in front of everybody" said Howard

"You could always not watch" said Bernadette

"Its 20 feet away I can hardly not watch" replied Howard

"Daddy can you take me in the pool again" said Rose

"No, you need to wait until you have finished your food" replied Howard

"But Marie is in there with Barbara, it's not fair"

"That's because she ate her food and you havent" said Howard, Rose responded by having a tantrum and throwing the food in the pool

"Rose stop that right now or you are going home" scolded Bernadette

"Sorry Amy" replied Howard

"That's ok, there is a net over at the back and you can use it to scoop the food out" replied Amy

"It's not Howard that should be apologising, Rose go and tell Amy how sorry you are" siad Bernadette

"Not sorry" said Rose sulking and folding her arms, Amy and Penny couldn't help laughing her expression

"Bernie its ok, these things happen" said Amy

"Rose if you don't apologise you will go home and not see the fireworks or get any special cake that we have" said Bernadette as Howard started fishing the food out of the pool

"Mommy I want to see fireworks" said Rose going up to Amy and quietly whispering in her ear and going back to Bernadette

"She said she was sorry" said Amy in response to Bernadette's questioning look

"Good now you need to sit down and behave and then I will see if you can go back in the pool" said Bernadette

An hour later it was dark enough for the fireworks to be let off and the kids were very excited, Raj went off to the back of the garden to set them up and soon the neighbourhood and sky was lit up with the colours and noises of the fireworks, later after the fireworks had finished and some of the kids were asleep, Leonard and Penny said that they would hold a New Year party which led to the group making plans for Christmas, they had decided to have a joint Christmas celebration again like they had two years previously

_**Next chapter up soon**_


	27. Chapter 27

A couple of days after the fireworks party, Penny and Amy had messages from Claire saying that she would be coming to see them, when she got there she came straight to the point

"You remember the Macys advert last year? Said Claire

"Yes" said Penny

"Good now they are essentially going to re-shoot it again for this year with the same people and have it as an ongoing thing for the next few years, so they will be requiring Richard to appear, is that ok? Asked Claire looking to Amy

"Oh sure yes but he is 15 months old now will that be ok? Asked Amy

"Yes like I said it's the continuality that the viewer will see the same family growing up, the dogs will be needed as well" said Claire

"Well you know I will be up for it" said Penny

"I can see yes for Richard as long as Sheldon approves of course" said Amy

"Good, it will be shot in the same place at the end of the month, I will send you dates and times for it"

"Ok thanks" said Amy

"Anyway cant stay have to rush, got people to see" said Claire seeing herself out

_**Later that evening **_after the kids had gone to bed, Natasha and George were out and Sheldon and Amy were relaxing in lounge lying down on the couch cuddling watching TV

"Sheldon, is ok if Richard appears in another advert?

"What sort of advert is it?

"It's the same as last year when he appeared in the Macys one"

"Sure why not especially if he gets the same amount again, although I think we can put some of it in Marie's account" replied Sheldon

"Sure, also I have been thinking about holidays for next year, is there anywhere you would really like to go? Asked Amy

"I would love to go back to Alaska but if we are taking the kids then it would be better when they are older and can appreciate the beauty of it I guess" replied Sheldon

"I think the kids would enjoy it, Marie is very much like you in that she loves trains and animals, should we see if any of the others want to come?

"You can do but not tonight, let's just have some you and me time before bed" said Sheldon

"We can have you and me time in bed later if you like" replied Amy

"You mean like this sort of thing" said Sheldon running his hands over Amy's legs and then kissing her and tickling her stomach

"Yes just like that" replied Amy relaxing into the kiss and as Sheldon pressed down on her, they started to grind against each other until

"Mommy" shouted Marie from upstairs

"I will go" said Amy going up to see her daughter "What's the matter Marie?" asked Amy

"Want drink please"

"You had a drink before you came to bed, how are you still thirsty? Asked Amy

"Don't know"

"Alright come down and you can have a little drink" said Amy picking her up and taking her downstairs to the kitchen where Sheldon now was

"Hi Daddy" said Marie

"Hey Marie, shouldn't you be asleep?

"Yes but I thirsty" said Marie as Amy made her small cup of water and she drank it in one go

"Right back to bed missy and sleep this time" said Amy

"Can I have story?"

"You already had one" said Amy

"Yes but daddy read it now I want you to"

"You are very demanding for 2 and half, I hope you are not picking up bad habits from Rose" said Amy

"What's bad habits mommy? Asked Marie looking confused

"Never mind, come on and I will read for five minutes only, say goodnight to Daddy" said Amy picking her up

"Night daddy" said Marie reaching over to Sheldon and hugging him, Amy took her up and started to read to her and Marie fell asleep almost straight away, Amy returned back downstairs

"You know we were talking about Alaska, they have family suites, so we could have them in one bedroom and we can be in the other, but I wonder whether we could have a holiday of our own by ourselves" said Amy finding Sheldon still in the kitchen and leaning against the side watching him make tea

"You mean for like a week or a long weekend? Asked Sheldon

"Yes but that's just a dream I guess, if you are making tea I will have one" said Amy

"Sure, so how would you feel about going to Alaska for Marie's 3rd birthday in March, we can ask the others next time we see them"

"Yes that sounds like fun to me" replied Amy

"Talking of holidays, I should ask Mom, Meemaw and Missy if they are coming for Christmas but again that can wait until tomorrow"

"How are things working out job sharing with Leonard"

"Yes fine, we have had no problems to deal with, we have had a request to organise a physics Christmas party though, so we will be sorting that out soon"

"Well I hope you invite me" said Amy

"I wasn't planning on staying there that long, the only people I want to spend time are my family and friends" replied Sheldon as George arrived back home and came straight to the kitchen

"Hey you two" said George

"How was your date? Asked Amy

"Yes very good, we had a picnic up on the roof of her block"

"Oh Sheldon did that for me when we were dating, it was very romantic" said Amy

"Yeah that's where I got the idea from, Natasha thought it was very romantic at least until it got a bit chilly and we went back to her apartment" replied George

"Maybe Sheldon you could arrange that for you and I again sometime in the near future" said Amy

"Maybe, George are you staying here for Christmas because I will ask Mom and all to come over" said Sheldon

"Yes of course, Nat and I will both be working some of it as Penny is closing for Christmas day and New Years day only"

"Probably a good thing to maximise sales" commented Amy

"Yes, anyway I am off to bed, night" said George waving at them and disappearing up the stairs to the attic

"How do you fancy a naughty weekend away somewhere very soon? Asked Sheldon

"I think that is an excellent idea, where were you thinking?

"Maybe book a hotel in Malibu, your mom could mind the kids, we will only be away from Friday to Sunday"

"Sounds wonderful, last time we were there I didn't get much time to go and explore what with being very very pregnant" replied Amy taking a sip of tea

"The only exploring we will be doing is with each other" said Sheldon eyeing Amy up and down

"Oh you are saucy" replied Amy noticing the look in his eyes as he came closer to her, he pressed up against her and put his arms around her and then kissed her for a very long time

"Come on bed time and I don't mean for sleep either" said Sheldon when they broke apart, he noticed Amy looking very flushed with a glint in her eyes

"How about a quick dip in the pool" said Amy taking his hand and leading him into the garden through the kitchen and into the pool house, she stripped off all her clothes and went straight in to the pool, Sheldon stood at the side surprised at the boldness of her

"You want me in the pool naked?

"Yes come and join me" said Amy as she started to swim to the other end

"You are lucky that nobody can see directly in to here" said Sheldon once he caught up with her and she was sitting on the steps with the water lapping around her

"All the windows are tinted, live a little Sheldon" replied Amy pulling Sheldon down on to her and making out with him

_**A few days later**_ at the groups monthly Friday night get together, Amy had asked Barbara if she would mind the kids and she agreed and as they were looking up hotels in Malibu, Penny and Leonard asked Amy if they minded if they joined them which she didn't mind at all and Natasha and George offered to look after Archie and Corey, then Howard and Bernadette said they would ask her parents to mind Rebecca and Rose. Alex found that the house they stayed in previously would be empty the following weekend and offered it to them, they accepted it straight away

"Obviously I will be working but I will let my mother know so you can pick up the key to the house" said Alex to Amy

"Cheers, it will be fun to get away for a couple of days and just be husband and wife" said Amy

"Thanks Alex, also come with me a moment to the kitchen I would like a quick word" said Penny

"Sure what's up? Asked Alex once they were there and sitting down at the dining room table

"I know your shadowing Raj at work has been extended from the original one year to indefinite but I have a proposition for you with regards to working at the store" said Penny

"Ok"

"If you do decide to work for me full time then I will still need you to work weekends as Store manager but I could also do with a casual Personal Assistant, somebody who can go off and source different fabrics and materials or go and visit one of the partnership locations when I am unable to"

"Oh, I would have thought you would have asked Natasha to do that, she is your sister after all" said Alex

"I know but when you said you were still happy to work weekends I thought why not make the most of the opportunity to get some help, I have the kids and my clients, I cant do everything and Alex you know I would prefer to have people I trust work with me and you have gained a lot of experience working with me and you know the kind of materials I look for, so what do you say? Replied Penny

"Penny I am very thankful for you for thinking of me like that, I need to think about it carefully because I also don't want to let Sheldon and Raj down after they did so much for me in helping me to stay at Caltech" said Alex

"Raj already knows and it was his idea, Sheldon is fine with it as well, so you have their full support and you can still go back to it in the future if you want to get out of the fashion world, nobody will feel let down by your decision Alex" replied Penny

"Oh in that case you have yourself a full time worker, I hope Natasha wont be upset about it" said Alex

"Alex I thought everything through and discussed it with the people involved before I even came to this suggestion with you, so please don't worry" replied Penny as Raj came into the kitchen

"Did you make a decision? Asked Raj

"Yes I am going to work for you and Penny full time within the business, I still would like to go back into the science but maybe in the future, I can always teach privately as well" replied Alex

"Good, you can start full time from whenever you like" said Raj

"Yes that also includes working during the busy Christmas and New Year period, I will be as well" said Penny

"Yes you got it"

"Also if you come to the store on Tuesday we can have a meeting about some of the things I will need you to do, we are coming up to changing some of the collection and I will need you to come with me to the Bloomingdales store in New York probably at the end of January to oversee that and throughout February once the stock is in to the other outlets around the states"

"Oh sure, will you be going to all of them?

"It just depends on my clients because if we have new collections in, they will want to see me, this is why I need a personal assistant as you can see!" replied Penny as they went back into the lounge

"Oh good, Penny I was just looking on the internet for things to do with the kids, Sheldon and I are going to take Marie and Richard to the Kidscape museum at Brookside park tomorrow, Bernie and Natasha and George are coming as well if you wanted to? Asked Amy

"Oh that sounds like fun" replied Penny looking at the website Amy showed her

"Yes, I think the kids are old enough to enjoy it as well" replied Amy

"Leonard are you coming? Asked Penny

"Sure why not"

"Oh and Alex is now going to be working for me full time" said Penny to the room in general which prompted a flurry of congratulations and good lucks

_**Next chapter will have the kids day out and the adults weekend alone**_


	28. Chapter 28

The next morning Sheldon and Amy were woken by Marie who had come into their room and jumped into bed with them

"Mommy, daddy wake up" said Marie trying to prise their eyes open

"Marie, its 6am can't you go back to bed? Asked Amy

"No mommy am hungry"

"How about a little cuddle first then we have breakfast" said Sheldon as Marie positioned herself between the two of them

"Also we are taking all of you kids out for the day today" said Amy

"Is Uncle George coming?

"Yes"

"Richard?

"Yes"

"Mommy"

"Yes Marie?

"Am still hungry"

"Ok just give us a few minutes to wake up properly" said Amy as Marie climbed out of bed and ran upstairs to the attic calling George's name

"Now she's going to wake George up" commented Sheldon as Marie could be heard talking to George, a few minutes later she came back down the stairs with George behind her, they stopped at the bedroom door

"Sorry George you go back to bed, I will take her down for breakfast, Richard will probably be awake with all the noise soon anyway" said Amy

"It's not a problem, I am going to take the dogs for a walk seeing as I am up and take Marie as well if you like"

"Oh sure thanks" replied Amy as George took Marie into her room and dressed her before going downstairs, the dogs greeted them happily and loudly

"I hope today wears Marie out a little" said Amy once the front door closed

"I think it will wear us all out running around after them" replied Sheldon

"You could be right there" said Amy pulling back the duvet and getting out of bed

"You seem to have forgotten something" said Sheldon

"What's that? Asked Amy looking confused

"Come back to bed for a moment and I will show you" replied Sheldon as Amy came back to him and joined him in bed

"What did you want to show me?

"This" replied Sheldon as he pulled Amy close to him, they intertwined their legs over each others and Sheldon then started off gently kissing her then it became more intense as they both became very aroused for each other as Sheldon fondled her breasts

"I just wanted to say good morning to you properly" said Sheldon when they stopped kissing for a moment

"You can say good morning like that every day Sheldon" said Amy smiling at him and stroking his face while peppering him with kisses as he drew circles on her back making her shiver

They were interrupted by Richard yelling from his room, Amy quickly kissed Sheldon again, put her dressing gown on and went to Richards's room, he still slept in a cot unlike Marie who had a little bed

"Mommy" shouted Richard from his cot on seeing her

"You don't have to yell, I am right here" said Amy picking him up, then changing his nappy and taking him downstairs, she put him in the high chair and set about making the kids breakfast knowing that George wouldn't be long with the dogs, she was making tea when Sheldon came down

"Daddy" yelled Richard again

"What time are you planning we leave here this morning? Asked Sheldon leaning down to kiss Richard on the head then greeting Amy again with another kiss

"I told the others we would meet them there at 1030, so by 1015 at the latest" replied Amy

"Is your mom coming?

"No she has plans this weekend and she has the kids next weekend remember"

"Oh yes, our weekend away that will be fun especially with no interruptions" said Sheldon smiling at her as she passed him a cup of tea

"That's very true, I'm doing scrambled eggs and bacon if that's ok? Asked Amy

"Yes fine" replied Sheldon as George arrived back with Marie and the dogs and Natasha

"Mommy, daddy" said Marie on seeing them

"Did you have a good walk? Asked Sheldon

"Yes Daddy, we stopped for Tasha and Tasha took me on swings"

"That was nice of her" replied Sheldon

"I like Tasha daddy" replied Marie looking up at Natasha and holding her hand

"Well I would hope so" said Sheldon

"Have you had breakfast Natasha? Asked Amy

"No not yet, usually on weekends I am never up before 9am" replied Natasha sitting down

"Stay for some here then if you like"

"Thanks"

"Natasha and I will follow you to the Park in my car as I don't know where it is" said George coming to the kitchen having taken the dogs leads and harness off

"Sure no problem, Sheldon can you just feed the dogs while I finish up here" said Amy

Breakfast was had and very quickly everybody was showered, dressed and ready to go, Natasha had gone back home briefly and returned in a different outfit

"Mommy, I go with George? Asked Marie as Amy took her out to the car

"No you are coming in mommy's car" said Amy opening the door

"Amy I can take her if you like, I will need the car seat though" said George

"Sure, I think somebody has taken a liking to you" chuckled Amy

"Uncle George can Archie come in car with me and Tasha? Asked Marie as George strapped her into the seat

"You will see him at the park, can't you wait?

"No want Archie as well"

"Let me ask Penny" said Natasha going next door, she returned a few minutes later with Archie in tow and his car seat, Penny joined Amy and Sheldon in their car and they set off to the park which was three miles away, they arrived and parked up in the car park at the same time that Bernadette pulled up and they saw that Kelly was already waiting with Chandra, Raj had gone to Leonard's house and stayed with him to mind Anita and Corey seeing as they were both only 4 and 6 months old and unlikely to get any enjoyment from the day out

George unstrapped Marie from the car and walked her to Amy but Marie had other plans

"Daddy can I stay with George and Tasha? Asked Marie as Archie also pitched in with the same request

"Sure think of it as practice for when you have your own" said Penny to George and Natasha who both blushed and looked embarrassed

"Marie you can stay with George and Natasha if you are good and don't mess about ok? Said Sheldon

"Yes daddy" said Marie who placed herself in between Natasha and George and held their hands, Archie took Natasha's free hand and walked with them to the entrance of the museum

Once they entered the museum and took the kids to the Nature exchange section which had tortoises and a snake in residence, the 3 eldest children were fascinated by the animals and kept asking questions as they continued around the museum seeing different things, then once the tour was done, they went to the outdoor play areas which was for kids under 4 which suited all of them

The kids wanted to go to the Kids Basin which was like a series of rain like waterfalls dropping gently down, Marie Rose and Archie were especially amused by this

Whilst they were doing that, Kelly, Sheldon and George took Chandra, Richard and Rebecca to the area which was designed for younger children which included a ball pit which they all loved and stayed in for a long time as the older three children soon joined them, they had a late lunch in the park from the café and they all returned back to Sheldon and Amy's house as the kids wanted to go swimming, Raj and Leonard came over with the two boys

Marie of course wanted her Uncle George in the pool with her

"Sorry Marie, I have to get changed as I am going out for dinner with Natasha"

"Oh can I come?

"No but I promise I will play with you in the pool tomorrow"

"Ok" replied Marie as Amy put Marie's armbands on her and took her out to the pool

"Where are you going for dinner? Asked Penny as she took Corey from Leonard and fed him

"To the Raymond Restaurant" replied Natasha

"Oh I have never been there, you will have to tell me what its like" said Penny

"Sure, I have to go and getchanged and beautify myself as George is picking me up in 45 minutes so I shall see you all later" replied Natasha briefly kissing George and leaving the house

Sheldon and George were left in the kitchen when the others went outside to the garden

"How are things going with you and Natasha?

"Yes they are really good, we are having fun and that's what matters at the moment" replied George

"Have you told mom yet? You know she will probably ask if you have sinned with her"

"Yes I told her and but she never asked me about sinning, she already knows Natasha so she knows she's a nice girl"

"Its good to see you happy anyway and I think Marie likes you living here" said Sheldon

"She's a good kid, anyway I need to get ready, see you later bruv" said George going upstairs

Sheldon went back out to the garden and into the pool house where Amy was sitting on a sun lounger watching Raj swim with Marie

"I thought you were swimming with her? Asked Sheldon sitting down with her, Penny was in the next chair

"Yes but then she asked for Raj, I think she likes the attention" replied Amy

"You would of thought she would be tired out all the running about she and the others were doing today"

"Yes maybe she will go to bed early" said Amy as Bernadette got out of the pool with Rose and came over to them

"Rose would like Marie and Archie to come for a sleepover tonight if that's ok?

"Yes of course" said Amy, Penny also nodded

"Thank you Amy and Penny" said Rose politely

"That's ok sweetie" said Penny patting her seat for her to sit down next to her

"Can I help feed Corey Auntie Penny? Asked Rose

"Yes if you like but he has nearly finished" said Penny passing the bottle to Rose who gently placed it in Corey's mouth

"Bernadette what time are you going? I will drive Marie and Archie over" said Sheldon

"Oh soonish I guess, don't worry about driving because I have my car and Howard will be here shortly and he can take them" replied Bernadette

"Seeing as you are all here, Sheldon and I are going to Alaska in March for a family holiday and wondered if anybody wanted to join us?

"How long are you going for? Asked Penny

"A week" replied Amy

"What do you think Leonard? Asked Penny

"I think it would be good, so I say yes" replied Leonard

"I will let you know" said Bernadette

"Sure it was just an idea which stemmed from when we asked you before that was all" said Amy

A little while later everybody had returned home and Sheldon and Amy were left with Richard who had eaten his dinner and was now asleep, Sheldon and Amy were on the internet looking at things to do for the weekend away

"Are we going to go for romantic walks on the beach? Asked Amy

"I don't know if we will be spending much time on the beach considering the weather, its not exactly summer is it" said Sheldon

"Well I'm sure we could find a way to warm up on the beach" replied Amy winking at him

"Amy! What are you suggesting?

"Well you remember our skinny dip in the pool during the week don't you?

"Yes of course, how could I forget the sight of my wife naked before me in my garden"

"Well then" said Amy

"I do hope that you are not just teasing me Amy"

"Of course not"

"Good now getting back on track, I think us three couples will spend most of the time apart but I have found a restaurant we can all go to on Saturday evening, let me just email the details to the others"

"Do that later come with me" said Amy standing up

"Where are we going?

"To give you another teaser of what could or might happen next weekend and seeing as we have an almost empty house we may as well make the most of it" said Amy leading him upstairs to their bedroom

"Well I won't say no to you Amy" said Sheldon

"Sit down on the bed and close your eyes" said Amy

"Why? Asked Sheldon suspiciously

"If you trust me you will do it" said Amy

"Fine" said Sheldon and as he closed his eyes, he felt Amy brush past him and stop to give him a little kiss and he heard the bathroom door shut and open again a few minutes later

"Do you still have your eyes closed? Called Amy

"Yes"

"Then I am coming out" said Amy leaving the bathroom "You can open them now"

"Oh my goodness" said Sheldon taking in the sight of Amy dressed in the star trek uniform that she had worn before many years ago

"Like it?

"Oh I more than like it Amy" replied Sheldon holding out his hands for Amy to join him on the bed

_**The adult weekend away will be done separately, Chapter up soon**_


	29. Chapter 29

_**Smut Alert later in the chapter**_

Early on Sunday morning, Marie returned home from her sleepover with Rose and Archie full of questions, Amy however was very tired from a very late night with Sheldon and was sitting down watching Marie attempt to feed herself

"Mommy can I have a sister? Asked Marie

"Well I don't know, it's not up to me" said Amy

"Why?

"Because it just depends on what happens when the baby develops" replied Amy

"Rose has a sister"

"Yes I know, Marie why are you asking this? Asked Amy

"Just want sister" said Marie

"Well maybe next time we have a baby we might get one, anyway Uncle George is going to play in the swimming pool with you today like you asked yesterday is that ok?

"Yes mommy" replied

"Good, now next weekend Mommy and Daddy will be going away for two days and Nanny will look after you, George will be here as well helping Natasha look after Archie and Corey so you will still be able to play with them" said Amy

"Ok mommy, can I play with Archie today?

"Sure but maybe later this afternoon"

"Why"

"Because he has just got home and Penny will probably have missed him like I missed you"

"Did Daddy miss me? Asked Marie as Sheldon came into the room after taking the dogs out for a walk

"Of course I did, its always quiet here without you" replied Sheldon

"Richard loud though" said Marie

"Yes I know he is, your daughter wants a baby sister" said Amy to Sheldon

"Oh dear, what do you think Amy, are you ready for another one?

"Not for a couple of years at least, do you want one?" replied Amy

"No, we have enough to deal with as it is! Said Sheldon

"Morning" said George coming down the stairs and into the kitchen

"Morning how was your date" asked Amy

"Very good, I would recommend the restaurant we went to, we also went to a bar afterwards then back to Nats place for a nightcap"

"What's nightcap mommy? Asked Marie

"It's like when you have hot chocolate before bed sometimes but with Alcohol" said Amy but Marie didn't take any notice and continued eating

Later on when George was playing with Marie, Amy was sprawled out dozing on the sofa in the lounge, Sheldon who had been playing upstairs with Richard came down to find her and seeing that she was asleep gently shook her

"You ok?

"Yes just catching up with some sleep, am tired but it was well worth it" said Amy sitting up

"Of course and if you want to wear that uniform for me again someday you will find that I will be very grateful" replied Sheldon

"I could see how grateful you were last night and you might get that request sooner than you think" said Amy leaning over to kiss Sheldon

"Richard is asleep why don't you go up for a little nap? George has Marie and I have some work to do"

"I might just do that" replied Amy standing up

The following few days were very busy as Claire informed Penny and Amy that the advert taping date had been brought forward to that week, they went to the studio and did the advert, Richard did what was asked of him despite him being very fidgety throughout, they also received more money for the advert than they got the previous year and at work Amy had two monkeys from her addiction study escape from their cages and fight with each other, they could only be separated by a tranquilizer dart, one of which received fatal injuries

The day before they were due to go to Malibu, Bernadette and Howard pulled out as Rose developed a chest infection and Bernadette didn't want to leave her, Barbara was minding the children at Sheldon and Amy's house and Penny and Leonard said they would arrive in Malibu later in the evening.

Sheldon and Amy left in the early afternoon and arrived at 4pm and went up to the only room that was on the top floor and unpacked their things and went back downstairs, they were looking through the local takeaway menus for something to eat,

"You know as it is Friday we could always have Chinese" said Sheldon

"Ok, you know what I like then" replied Amy

"Sure, let me just call them" said Sheldon ringing in the order

"Do you want to go for a walk on the beach afterwards? Asked Amy once he finished the call

"Maybe, first of all though seeing as we are alone" said Sheldon going to a bag that he left in the lounge and getting some Cds out, he had made a mixed CD just for tonight and it was full of songs that he and Amy liked

"Are you going to play our wedding song? Asked Amy

"Of course" replied Sheldon looking over his shoulder at her while he put the CD on then returned to the sofa where Amy was and pulled her up "Come and dance with me Amy"

"Sure" Amy stood up from where she was sitting on the sofa and straight into Sheldon's arms

"You know Amy I don't just want this weekend to be about us getting naughty and frisky with each other" said Sheldon while they were dancing

"How do you mean? asked Amy

"You know, it's about having time alone as a couple, we don't get a lot of that and whilst I love the kids to bits it's nice to get away" replied Sheldon continuing to sway around the room with her

"Oh yes I understand now and its good that we have willing babysitters"

"That's always good and going back to what I just said, you can ignore that statement for the next few minutes" said Sheldon pulling her closer into him then kissing her as they swayed around the room to the music, this continued for several songs until they stumbled to the sofa and Sheldon collapsed on to Amy and continued kissing her and grinding against each other until they were interrupted by a knock at the door

"That will be the Chinese then" said Amy

"Yes, you might have to go" said Sheldon indicating his evident arousal through his jeans

Amy went to the door and returned with the food and started setting it out on the table, she noticed Sheldon was still sitting on the couch

"Are you coming to eat?

"Yes, I think we can scrap that statement I said when we were dancing, I can't help myself around you" replied Sheldon still sitting on the couch, Amy walked over to him as he started to stand up

"That's sweet, I happen to think its ok that we can scrap the statement" said Amy pushing Sheldon back on the couch and sitting on top of him and wrapping her hands around his neck and kissing him very hard

"Oh Amy" murmured Sheldon reaching into her top and fondling her breasts and running his hands over her stomach, then in one movement he managed to flip Amy onto her back on the sofa and still kissing continue with fondling her

"You know the food will be getting cold and we can continue this afterwards" said Amy once they stopped for breath

"You might be right, let's not think about any of that for now, let's just eat and talk about work because I am easily distracted by you" said Sheldon helping her up and walking over to the table with her

"Oh I have some champagne in the fridge cooling"

"Are we celebrating something? Asked Sheldon

"Only you and me being together"

"That's as good a reason as any I guess"

They ate their food quickly and with both of their minds still on each other, Sheldon decided they needed to go for a walk on the beach

"What time Leonard and Penny coming are, we will need to be here to let them in" said Sheldon

"Not until 10, Penny wanted to get the boys asleep before they came here so we have a few hours at least" replied Amy

"Or we could just stay here and make the most of the empty house" said Sheldon

"No come on lets go out" said Amy putting the dishes in the sink to soak and the champagne back in the fridge and going upstairs and returning with a extra large beach towel

Instead of going out of the sliding doors, they left by the front door and walked down the side of the house to the beach behind the garden, it was just starting to get dark and they noticed there was nobody else on the beach so they went for a little stroll hand in hand before finding a spot to sit down, Amy set the towel down so they could both sit on it

"You know it's so beautiful out here, just to look at the crashing of the waves as the sun sets" said Amy

"It's even more beautiful when you are in the picture Amy"

"Oh stop it, you don't mean that"

"Of course I do, I never say things I don't mean you know that Amy" replied Sheldon, Amy responded by laying herself down on the towel and putting her hand out for Sheldon to join her, he lay down on his side next to her and leaned over to gently kiss her, stroking her hair as he was doing so, Amy found this incredibly romantic

"I love you Sheldon, you always have good things to say in the right moment" said Amy

"I love you too and I will spend every day proving that to you" replied Sheldon bringing Amy closer to him and continuing to kiss her only stopping when they heard voices further down the beach coming towards them

"Come on lets continue walking" said Amy holding out her hand for Sheldon to take as he was already standing up

"Sure, what do you want to do tomorrow; I know you said you wanted to explore"

"Why don't we go to Santa Monica Pier, its only 30 minutes away driving and there is an aquarium there, you love that sort of thing" replied Amy

"Is there amusement arcades there?

"Yes, I think we shall see if Leonard and Penny want to come as well"

"Of course and we are going to that restaurant I told you all about in the evening"

"Did you book reservations?

"Yes but I booked two tables"

"Of course, whilst I am enjoying this walk, it is getting a bit cold, shall we turn back?

"Sure and let me warm you up" replied Sheldon putting his arm around Amy and pulling her close

They returned back to the house, Amy put the fire on and quickly washed up and then Sheldon moved one of the armchairs closer to the fire and they sat in it together, Sheldon had put his mixed CD back on and they were relaxing together again drinking champagne and tickling and kissing each other, this is how Leonard and Penny found them when they arrived at the house, the front door had been left unlocked and they walked straight in

"Hello lovebirds" said Penny then laughing as they sprang apart

"Oh hi, how did you get in? said Amy

"The door was unlocked but Leonard has locked it now" replied Penny watching Leonard go upstairs with Sheldon

"Ok, did the kids get to sleep ok?

"Yes, Archie decided he wanted to stay at your house, so Natasha took him and Corey over, your mom was fine with it" said Penny

"The kids love being with each other, it's good that they get on so well"

"Nat is going to stay over as well, is that ok?

"Sure"

"With George and Leonard's help they moved Corey's crib from our house up to Richards's room so he had somewhere to sleep, Archie said he would sleep with Natasha in the spare room" said Penny carrying on

"Sheldon and I were talking about going to Santa Monica tomorrow if you want to come" said Amy

"Yes why not, what time did you want to go?

"Not early that's for sure, maybe around 10"

"That's fair enough, did you choose a room upstairs?

"Yes we have taken the top floor one, so there are 5 more for you to choose from" said Amy

"Cheers, Leonard bought some beers and he also wanted to bring his play station but I persuaded him not to"

"Thank goodness for that, otherwise we may not get them out of the house" replied Amy

"Or to do anything else" said Penny

The remainder of the evening passed with the two couples playing card games and enjoying each others company before they went to bed just after midnight, Sheldon and Leonard were both very drunk after drinking all the beer and Amy and Penny just about managed to get them both into their respective beds where they fell asleep fully clothed

"Should we take their clothes off? Asked Amy

"No just leave them, see you in the morning" said Penny leaving Amy's room and going down to her own on the floor below

Sheldon woke up the next morning spooning Amy but with a raging headache and stilly fully clothed, he checked Amy and saw that she was still asleep so deciding not to wake her, he got out of bed and went downstairs to the kitchen where he knew the painkillers were and then slumped down at the kitchen table with his head in his hands, this was how Leonard found him when he came down a few minutes later

"Hung-over as well huh" said Leonard

"Yes" replied Sheldon still with his head in his hands

"Do you want tea?

"Yes, I did boil the kettle but I kind of forgot"

"The girls will up soon I guess" said Leonard

"Well Amy was fast asleep and didn't even move when I left the bed so I doubt it" replied Sheldon as Amy appeared at the bottom of the staircase

"Morning you two, you both look dreadful by the way" said Amy

"Thanks" said Sheldon

"Leonard sit down, I will make the tea" said Amy noticing Leonard struggling

"Thanks Amy"

"Its ok, I may as well get breakfast started seeing as I am here, you two want anything?

"Well I am hungry despite this headache" said Sheldon

"Ok, you two go up and get showered and dressed and by the time you are done breakfast will be ready and then we can go out" said Amy

An hour later everybody was ready and they departed the house and after choosing to drive separately than go in one car they drove off to Santa Monica, when they got to the car park, they discussed what they were doing

"Sheldon and I are going to visit the Aquarium first and then the pier afterwards" said Amy

"Ok Leonard and I will probably go to the arcades and mess about there, but first I want to hit the shops"

"I think I will join Sheldon and Amy then and meet up with you after" said Leonard

"Well why don't you and Sheldon go to the Aquarium and we can hit the shops and meet back here in two hours to go on the pier" said Amy

"Are you sure? Asked Sheldon

"Yes go on and enjoy yourself" said Amy kissing him goodbye and walking off with Penny towards the shopping area

"That was probably a good idea, seeing as they are both hung-over, Leonard just moaned the whole way here" said Penny

"Yes that's part of it, a bit of man bonding time will clear their heads and I don't want to listen to Sheldon complaining of a sore head, we drunk just as much as them and we are fine"

"That's true, oh there is a Bloomingdales here" said Penny noticing the store

"Shall we go in? Asked Amy

"Yes why not, I wonder whether we could have had an outlet here when we first thought of having one over the west coast" Said Penny as they entered the store

"Well you have the collection in the San Francisco store now and it's probably best they are not too close together as you found out"

"Hi Penny, Amy" said Sarah, Penny spun round and saw Sarah who she was working with over her collection

"Sarah what are you doing here? Asked Penny giving her a quick hug

"Oh I like to do site inspections to keep an eye on things, I never tell them I am arriving until I do"

"Probably why Bloomingdales is so successful then" replied Penny

"Are you here to shop?

"Sort of, Amy and I and our better halves are staying in Malibu until tomorrow, just a short weekend away from the kids you know"

"Yes, my husband is back at the hotel, my mother is minding the children until I return in the morning"

"How long are you in the store for?

"Until later, the manager and I will be going for lunch to discuss the new collection for spring"

"Oh yes that's something I know about"

"Anyway I have to get on, Penny I know you are over in New York in January so I shall probably see you then but I am sure we will Skype before that"

"Yes we will also I have news that can wait as well, hope you have a good day" said Penny hugging her again and continuing round the store with Amy and visiting the other stores, they both bought dresses to go out for dinner in

They met up with Sheldon and Leonard at lunchtime and had sausage and chips from a burger van and walked onto the pier, Sheldon headed straight for the arcades

"Amy did you bring lots of change?

"Yes, I have it in my bag" replied Amy taking the bag of change out and passing it to him, he walked towards the door of the arcade shop, then noticed Amy wasn't following him

"You not coming in?

"No am going to have a look at what else is here" said Amy smiling at him and walking down the pier, Penny followed her

"Amy what's going on, you have hardly spoken to Sheldon"

"Nothing, do you want to go in the pacific park and the bumper cars? Asked Amy

"Sure why not" replied Penny as she realised that she wasn't getting anything out of her

Meanwhile in the Arcade, Leonard was questioning Sheldon

"Today has been a bit odd, it's like Amy doesn't want to spend anytime with you, have you two had a row?

"No, I don't know what's wrong with her but I will find out later before dinner" replied Sheldon as he went over to a two player car game, he indicated for Leonard to join him and an hour later Amy and Penny came back to meet them, they saw how much fun they were having so decided to leave them to it

"Penny and I are going back, so Sheldon here is the car key, we will see you back at the house" said Amy passing Sheldon her car key then kissing him briefly on the cheek and walking off with Penny

"Yup, there is definitely something going on there and it's even spread to Penny, she never said anything" said Leonard

"I suspect they have something planned for us and they are being like this to put us off track" said Sheldon after he thought about it for a moment

"Maybe, I suggest we go back shortly though"

"Sure"

"Amy you need to tell me what's going on" said Penny as she pulled out of the car park

"Look we planned this weekend to get away from the kids right?

"Yes"

"Last night Sheldon said that he didn't want the entire weekend spent with us just being naughty and frisky with each other, but that kind of got scrapped when we were dancing and we ended up all over each other, so if we can spend time apart then it will make it better when we are together later, does that make sense?

"Kind of, although Sheldon won't know what's hit him with that dress you bought"

"I know and the same for Leonard with you"

Amy and Penny got back to the house and went up for showers and changed into their new dresses when they heard Sheldon and Leonard arrive and come up the stairs

"Sheldon can you wait downstairs a moment, I am not ready for you to see me" called Amy from her room

"Fine" said Sheldon going back downstairs, Leonard had also been told the same thing

Amy was dressed in a black lace panel dress that Penny had said was stunning on her, she had also bought black heels, she had curled her hair and put a little light make up on and was just about ready

Penny was wearing a similar dress that was cut very low to her cleavage, she had left her hair down but had straightened it more

"Sheldon you can come up now" called Amy

Sheldon arrived in the room and was impressed at the sight of Amy dressed up, but as he came closer to Amy, Amy moved away from him towards the mirror to check her hair

"You look lovely Amy"

"Thank you, there should be enough hot water for you" said Amy pecking him on the cheek and leaving the bedroom, Sheldon was still confused

"Where are you going?

"Downstairs to wait for you so we can go out of course, don't be long" replied Amy

Penny was already downstairs having teased Leonard with her dress

"Is it working? Asked Penny

"Oh yes, Sheldon is very confused and turned on"

"How do you know he was turned on?

"He had that look in his eye" replied Amy

Sheldon and Leonard returned back downstairs within a few minutes and soon they were ready to go, Amy had called a Taxi for all of them and soon they arrived at the Malibu Beach Inn, it was still light and warm enough for them to dine on the outside terrace so they were shown to separate tables, Sheldon was eyeing up Amy unsure of what she had planned or what was going on with her

"Would Sir and Madam like a drink?

"Oh yes please can I have a glass of white wine? Asked Amy

"Could you just bring the bottle" said Sheldon

"Very well, I have the starter menu and I shall return in a few minutes to take your order"

"Thanks" said Amy smiling at him

"That's it, Amy what's going on? Asked Sheldon

"I don't follow?

"You have been avoiding me all day and now here you are sat in front of me in a stunning dress and it's all I can do to not take you back home and ravish you" said Sheldon. Other diners looked over as they heard him speak

Amy was now hiding her face behind the menu trying not to laugh at Sheldon's exasperation, composing herself she put the menu down and spoke to him

"Thank you for the comment about the dress, you look good as well, now I think I will have the Goats Cheese tart for the starter, what about you? Asked Amy as innocently as she could

"I will have the same" replied Sheldon looking at Amy and choosing not to comment any further

Amy continued with the polite chit chat throughout the meal, they decided to skip the dessert and called a taxi, Leonard and Penny said they were staying so they went outside on the beach front to wait

"Sheldon that was a lovely meal don't you think" asked Amy

"Yes it was and even more pleasant because of you"

"That's nice" replied Amy looking up at him and smiling, their taxi arrived and they were back at the house a few minutes later

"We still have the champagne if you would like some" asked Sheldon he was happy that things seemed to be normal again

"Actually come on the beach with me" said Amy picking up the oversize beach towel

"Its pitch black out there" said Sheldon

"All the better then" replied Amy leaning up to kiss him gently and leading him out on to the beach, Sheldon noticed Amy was walking purposefully in a certain direction

"Where are you taking me?

"I remembered a little quiet spot that I saw and that's where we are going" said Amy leading him to a little dune out of sight of anybody and laying the towel down, she sat down and pulled Sheldon down with her and into her arms, she kissed him for a very long time

"I have been wanting to do that all day" said Amy

"Why wait? You have driven me crazy since I first set eyes on that dress you are wearing as you can see" replied Sheldon taking her hand to his erection

"Because some things are best left to wait" replied Amy continuing to kiss him and cup his arousal, after much more kissing she unzipped his trousers and pulled them down along with his boxer shorts and started to play with his erection all the while still kissing him

"Amy are you seriously wanting to do this out here?

"Yes its romantic, the moon is out and there is nobody around to hear" replied Amy as Sheldon moved on top of Amy and lifted her dress, he discovered she was wearing a g string and gently pushed his erection against her wetness, Amy put her arms around his neck and continuing to kiss him, Sheldon guided his arousal into her and Amy wrapped her legs around his bottom and pulled him deeper into her, the only sound was of them both moaning in desire for each other and the crashing of the waves

"Amy I need you so much, I can't help it" said Sheldon as he continued to thrust in to her

"I know" replied Amy bringing Sheldon's head down so she could kiss him again, they both orgasmed in a flurry of noise and elation

"That was naughty but so very good" said Sheldon afterwards

"It may not be the last time we have beach coitus" replied Amy cuddling him

"It is getting cold now we should get back" said Sheldon a few minutes later, he helped her up and put his trousers back on

They arrived back at the house a few minutes later, Penny and Leonard were already there as Amy had another key cut for them, they noticed how flushed Sheldon and Amy were and covered in sand

"Don't tell me you two had a beach romp? Asked Penny in surprise

"Yes, you should try it, its very exciting" said Amy

"Another time perhaps" replied Penny looking at Leonard's horrified face

"Well we are going up to have a shower and get clean, I have sand everywhere" said Amy leading Sheldon upstairs to their en suite bathroom, she turned the shower on and stripped her clothes off as Sheldon did the same and they had a repeat of what just happened on the beach in the shower

"You know Amy, that was the perfect way to get rid of a hangover by teasing me all day" said Sheldon when they were in bed that night

"You know I planned it don't you?

"Amy Farrah Fowler you really are a vixen" said Sheldon leaning over to kiss his wife

_**Next chapter up soon**_


	30. Chapter 30

_**Cheers for the follows and reviews and comments elsewhere**_

_**Hope everybody is enjoying the story**_

_**The next few chapters will be jumping ahead in time**_

The group of friends and family minus Alex who had gone to Malibu to see her parents for New Year, were at Leonard and Penny's house celebrating New Years Eve, all of the groups children were at Sheldon and Amy's house being minded by Meemaw, Mary and Barbara who had decided not to go and offered to have the children until the middle of the following day or in Mary's words "Whenever they emerged"

Amy and Sheldon were making the most of the child free evening, both were slightly intoxicated as were everybody else and were dancing with each other along with the other couples and occasionally swapping dance partners, Leonard and Penny put the TV on as the countdown began for the New Year

"Everybody get ready to celebrate a new year" shouted Leonard over the noise of everybody as they counted down to 2018

"Happy new year Amy" said Sheldon clinking glasses with her and kissing her

"Same to you and to a happy 2018" replied Amy putting their glasses down and kissing him for a very long time, when they eventually stopped they noticed the other couples and partygoers had gone out to the garden and were jumping into the pool fully clothed except for Natasha and George who were currently sitting on the sofa kissing

"Bless them" said Amy leading Sheldon outside "Go on jump in" encouraged Amy

"Only if you jump in with me together" replied Sheldon taking her hand and diving in, they emerged after a few seconds and kissed and cuddled each other

The party continued long into the night with Leonard and Penny offering people places to sleep at their own house, Sheldon and Amy took the offer to use the annexe and were currently in bed, Sheldon was more drunk than Amy and they were continuing with the celebrations by drinking champagne in bed and fooling around

"You know we are going to regret this in the morning" slurred Sheldon gulping back another glass

"Yes I know but we are having fun, the kids are fine with their grannies so lets make the most of it" replied Amy as Sheldon moved on top of her

"You mean like this" said Sheldon tipping some of the champagne onto her stomach and licking it off

"Oh yes" replied Amy squirming under Sheldon as he finished licking all the drink off her and leant down to kiss her, because they were drunk there was no co-ordination in any of their movements and eventually they rolled off the bed and onto the floor both laughing and continued to kiss

"Think we need to get back on the bed, this floor is hurting my back" said Amy after a while

Sheldon responded by doing a complicated movement of standing up and sitting Amy on the edge of the bed and kneeling on the floor so they were face to face.

"I think we need to sleep more than anything" replied Sheldon

"You might be right there" said Amy hauling herself up to the head of the bed and laying down, Sheldon joined her and after a few crashing together of limbs managed to cuddle together before falling asleep

They woke up several hours later with hangovers, Amy could see that it was after midday so she and Sheldon took a quick shower and went back to their own house only to find it was empty apart from the dogs and a note saying that all the children had been taken out for the day

"An empty house Sheldon, do you know what we could do, I am sure we tried it last night"

"I seem to remember falling off the bed at one point"

"That's probably why I have a pain in the middle of my back then" replied Amy

"Come up to our room and I will give you a massage" said Sheldon taking her hand and leading her up

"I have massage oil in the bedside cabinet if you want to use it" said Amy as she took her top and bra off

"Sure, lay down on your stomach on the bed first though" said Sheldon as he got the oil and rubbed it over Amy's back, then started massaging the area where Amy said the pain was

"Sheldon join me on the bed instead of standing next to it"

"How do you mean? I won't be able to massage you properly"

"You will if you sit on me with your legs either side" replied Amy looking up at him

"Oh I see, you mean like this" said Sheldon doing what she asked and them immediately becoming aroused, he tried to ignore it and continue massaging her back, Amy wasn't helping his predicament with her moans of delight

"Oh yes that's got it" murmured Amy

"You're enjoying this more than you should be I think" said Sheldon leaning down and kissing her shoulders

"Well I can feel you are as well Sheldon" replied Amy as he continued to rub the area of pain

"How's the pain now?

"It's getting much better, you can leave it for a moment now" said Amy

"Why?

"Because you are turning me with every movement you make and I want you"

"Really, that's interesting" replied Sheldon

"It should be" said Amy as Sheldon gently rocked against her bottom, he then got off her and flipped her over onto her back and kissed her erect nipples, Amy arched her back at Sheldon's touch and immediately winced in pain which Sheldon noticed

"You ok?

"No that was a bit painful, maybe we should stop and continue with the massage" replied Amy

"Sure but this time I will stay off the bed and you can cover up your delightful bosom" said Sheldon kissing her quickly and resuming the massage, after a while Amy felt the pain start to go

"I think I will just rest for the remainder of the day, I think there is some deep heat in the bathroom cabinet can you get that for me please? Said Amy when Sheldon had finished

"Sure, I can rub it on for you as well"

"I think drunken coitus is a dangerous thing!

"Yes fun though" replied Sheldon coming back with the Deep Heat

They returned downstairs and found George and Natasha in the kitchen making tea, they noticed Amy was clutching her back

"What happened to you? Asked Natasha

"Fell off the bed when we were fooling around drunk and Sheldon just gave me a little massage, how you both feeling" replied Amy

"Oh a little hung-over we somehow managed to get back to my apartment and here we are now" replied Natasha

"By the way we have cleared it with Penny to get time off work and if you like we would like to join you on the Alaska trip" said George

"Oh sure that sounds fun, the kids will love you both being there" said Amy

"Yes, Alex will manage the store the week I am away and Kelly will work the weekend shift" replied Natasha

"Where are the kids anyway? Asked George

"Oh they are out with the grannies, I think that includes Archie and Corey" replied Amy as a knock at the door came, Amy answered to a very tired looking Penny

"Afternoon to you all" said Penny

"The kids are out if you are looking for them" said Amy

"Oh good, Leonard is still asleep"

"Do you want tea? Asked Sheldon

"Sure why not"

_**Two weeks later **_Penny and Raj were with Sarah at the New York store signing the contract extension for the collection there, they had more than made back the $250,000 that had been charged for the 1st year and were negotiating a new price that Sarah had offered to them in exchange for more floor space

"You currently have a quarter of the women's floor for you collection, now we going to be moving things around on different floors and we want to have just your entire collection including the men's on one floor, how would you feel about that?

"When you say that do you mean there will be just our collection or others as well? Asked Penny

"Just your collection, we both made profits from this and I am sure you would like to take advantage of that" said Sarah

"Yes of course, how much would you want to charge us though? Asked Raj

"What do you say to $300,000?

"That's more than fine, will it be just for one year or longer? Said Raj

"I think we have a deal that is ongoing for many years into the future but the price may go up depending on the success" said Sarah

"Yes that's ok, we have no problem with that" said Raj

"Now with regards to the other sites, I take it you are still happy to have them there? Asked Sarah

"Yes of course, they are all hitting the targets we set, even with the San Francisco one being a month behind" replied Penny

"We will be extending their contracts as well once the year is up" said Sarah

Penny and Raj were only staying in New York for the meeting and were now at the airport waiting for their flight to be called

"You know seeing as they are giving us an entire floor for the collection I don't think there will be any need to have our own store here if this is to continue" said Penny

"I wouldn't say no to our own store just yet, remember we are on a yearly rolling contract with them and we can end it whenever we like, so if in 3 years we want our store here then we can do it"

"This is why I am glad I asked you to be my business partner Raj, I wouldn't have been able to manage the finances like you have"

"Thanks, we will have to rent though because the prices to buy are in the multiple millions, you know our building is worth around $30 million dollars" replied Raj

"Ouchie, at least the rent is reasonable" said Penny

"Yes indeed, although that will be going up this year but we are doing so well that we can afford it" replied Raj

"How much will it be going up to?

"$40,000 per month which is very reasonable considering it's only gone up $10,000 in the three years we have been there" replied Raj as their flight was called

"Come on let's go, want to get home to see my babies" said Penny

_**6 weeks later**_

It was early afternoon and Amy, Sheldon, Leonard, Penny, George, Natasha and the four children had just arrived in Anchorage and were collecting the rental cars, the three couples had their own cars and were going to follow Sheldon and Amy as they had been before, Marie as usual wanted to travel with Archie and was complaining on the journey

"No Marie, its two hours in the car so you will just have to stay with me" replied Amy

"You can see Archie when we get to the hotel" said Sheldon

"Is there pool? Asked Marie

"Yes so you can go in there as well" replied Amy

Two hours later they arrived at the park and driving through the entrance gates Amy remembered how beautiful everything was the first time they came, parking in the car park, she took the kids out of their seats while Sheldon collected the luggage with help from George and Natasha helped Penny with the kids and they went into the reception area

"Hello and welcome to Princess Denali Wilderness Lodge, may I take your booking reference" said the receptionist

"Yes we have booked two family suites and one double room" replied Amy showing her the confirmation

"Very good, I shall just call for a porter to help you, your rooms are all next to each other, please wait over there a moment" said the receptionist indicating the waiting area, the porters arrived a few minutes later and took Amy and Sheldon to their family suite which consisted of two bedrooms a bathroom and a small seating and kitchen area, they also had a balcony overlooking the Denali River

"Mommy I am hungry" said Marie

"You are always hungry, lets just get settled and we can go down to the restaurant" said Amy taking Marie to the kid's room where Richard had already gone and was sitting on one of the beds with Sheldon

"I know it's a different room to the one we had last time but its still an amazing view" said Sheldon

"I know although we are unlikely to get any alone time together until the kids are asleep, hopefully all the activities will make them tired" replied Amy

"Maybe, lets just leave unpacking and go for something to eat, Marie is not the only one hungry" said Sheldon

They left the room and knocked for Leonard and Penny who came with them and Natasha and George, Amy told them the things she had booked for the different activities

"The only things I have booked for all of us are the train trip to Fairbanks tomorrow and the bus tour around the park two days later, I wasn't sure how much you would want to do on your own" said Amy

"That's ok, I think we are all happy to do the train tour and Leonard and George are going on the white water rafting" said Penny

"After we have eaten do you all fancy going for a walk along the river? Leonard and George will be able to see the people doing the rafting and the kids will be able to see some of the wildlife" replied Amy

"Yes sure why not, Archie was complaining the whole way here, so I think a bit of fresh air will do that good" replied Penny

"Mommy can we go see the animals now? Asked Marie who had been whispering with Archie

"Yes when everybody is finished eating" replied Amy

A little while later the group had left the dining room and returned to their rooms to collect coats for the kids as it was a little chilly outside and they made their way out of the lodge and walked down the path towards the riverbank, Amy had left Sheldon in charge of Richard and his buggy and Marie was currently holding hands with Archie like they were best mates

"Marie and Archie look very cute together don't you think? Said Penny watching them

"Yes, I wonder if they would stay still long enough for us to get a picture of them" said Amy

"Not while they awake at least! Laughed Penny

They had reached the river bank now and they could see the tourists white water rafting

"Leonard you really want to do that? It looks dangerous" said Sheldon

"Danger can be fun" replied Leonard

"Mommy are we doing that? Asked Marie watching them

"No but Uncle George and Leonard will be in a couple of days, you are too young" replied Amy

"Mommy what's that" said Marie pointing to a hare that was hopping in the grass just ahead of them

"It's a hare, probably looking for food" replied Amy

"I touch?

"No its wild and it may bite you" replied Amy

"Mommy me and Archie want to go swings" said Marie pointing to a distant kids play area

"Amy, Natasha and I will take them if you want a little break from them" said George

"Are you sure?

"Yes and Sheldon if you give me Richard he can go on as well" replied George, Sheldon passed him Richard in the buggy and Natasha and George walked off with along with Marie and Archie

"Don't you think they make a cute couple? Asked Penny as they sat down on some picnic benches

"Yes, she seems a lot happier than when she was with Mark" replied Amy

"They told me earlier that they will have the kids for one afternoon while we are away so we can have couples time" said Leonard

"That's nice of them, I think I know what I will do with couples time" said Sheldon looking intently at Amy then kissing her

"Seriously? Asked Penny

"Yes why not, maybe we should have fun couples time as well" replied Leonard pecking her on the cheek

"Yes, we will see" said Penny as Corey woke up and started whimpering, she took him out of the buggy to cuddle and comfort him, then gave him some juice which he guzzled down quickly

"I have booked an entire carriage just for us on the train, it has an open platform where we will be able to see the animals on the way to Fairbanks and we have a butler who will serve us breakfast and lunch on the train so you don't need to worry about that" said Amy

"What time is the train journey starting? Asked Leonard

"930am, so we will need to be at the pick up point by 915" replied Amy

"Did you get to see many animals last time? Asked Penny

"Yes plenty, there are foxes, wolves, moose and other deer, a lot are quite close to the track as well because there are no fences to stop them crossing" replied Amy

"What have you got for Marie's birthday? Asked Penny

"This is her birthday trip, we gave her a few small silly gifts at home before we came but this also includes our main family holiday for this year, we might take a weekend away later in the year but we are probably going to go to London in August next year" replied Amy

"Why London? Asked Leonard

"Just that when we were there last, we didn't get to do much of the tourist side of it, because we were there in a professional capacity" replied Amy

"London, that's interesting, I wonder whether we could find a partnership there for my collection" commented Penny taking out her phone and sending a message

"Who are you texting? Asked Leonard

"Raj just to see what he thinks, it might be a good idea and we still haven't decided on whether we will take up Bloomingdales offer in Dubai yet"" replied Penny

"Would you two like to join us? Asked Sheldon suddenly after he had exchanged a look with Amy

"How long were you planning on going for? Asked Penny

"No more than 10 days" replied Sheldon

"I think we would like to join you, have you booked anything yet? Asked Penny

"No we are waiting until later in the year to do it, when the fares are out" replied Amy as George and Natasha returned from the kids play area

"Mommy we saw more hares" said Archie racing up to Penny for a hug

"That's nice" replied Penny

"Marie wants to take one home but I said maybe you would get her a rabbit when you get home" said George

"Oh, I'm not sure how well that will go down with the dogs" said Amy

"Well we have a very big garden and we can make a little run for them" said Sheldon

"Maybe, she might forget when we get home, Leonard told us you will have the kids for an afternoon during the trip and that's very thoughtful, thank you" said Amy to George and Natasha

"Well that's partly why we came, they are our nephews and niece and it's always nice to spend time with them" replied George

"Its going to be very much appreciated by us" replied Sheldon

As it was now getting dark they made their way back to the lodge, Corey and Richard had dropped off to sleep and Marie wanted to sit on Sheldon's shoulders because she was tired, Archie then wanted to sit on Leonard's shoulders

"He's a copycat isn't he" commented Penny

"Mommy why are George and Tasha holding hands? Enquired Marie

"Because they like each other" replied Amy

"I hold hands with Archie and I like him" said Marie

"Yes I know" replied Amy

"By the way if any of you want to go in the hot tubs then you will have to book it" said Sheldon

On the way back to their rooms, all three couples booked hot tubs at different times so that the children could be minded and returned to their rooms for the night, Amy had called room service for some wine and after they had put the children to bed, Sheldon and Amy were cuddled up together on the settee in the lounge area and making the most of the children being in bed

"You know I was only joking earlier when I said we would stay in here all afternoon when the kids are away" said Sheldon

"Yes I know, although it wouldn't be a bad thing would it" replied Amy leaning up to kiss him and stroke his face

"You know it wouldn't" said Sheldon as he continued to kiss her

"Come on lets go to bed its more comfortable there" said Amy as she stood up and walked to their room with Sheldon

The next day on the train journey they had only gone a short distance and were having their breakfast when they spotted wolves eating a carcass in the distance, Marie was very interested when Amy pointed them out to her

"Mommy can we touch them?

"No because they are wild" replied Amy

"What do they eat? Asked Marie

"They eat other animals" replied Amy

"Oh" replied Marie giggling with Archie

The journey continued onto Fairbanks and back with them seeing more packs of wolves and hares running across the fields and Moose as well, the children were very excited

"Mommy can we do that again? Asked Marie once they had departed the train and were walking back to the lodge

"Maybe another time, we are going on a trip tomorrow with dogs pulling us"

"Like Daisy and Cassie? Asked Marie

"Not quite, these are Huskys"

"Can we touch them?

"These ones you can"

"She's obsessed with touching the animals" commented Sheldon

"Daddy what's that word you just said? Asked Marie

"It means you really want to do something" replied Sheldon

"Can Archie sleep in my room tonight?

"No because there is no space, there are only two beds" replied Amy

"Not fair" grumbled Marie and Archie together

"Amy its ok, if you bring Richard over to our room they will be able to have a sleepover" replied Penny

"Thank you Penny, I don't think we would have been able to keep them quiet if we said no!" said Amy

The rest of the week passed quickly with the group having fun together and individually, on their free afternoon Leonard and Penny had gone for a picnic on the riverbank and Sheldon and Amy were spending part of their free afternoon together in the outside Hot Tub sipping champagne and cuddling

"You know it would be amazing to live here permanently" said Amy

"I would rather come here for a holiday, that way you can appreciate the beauty of it all and plus there are no universities here" replied Sheldon

"You have a point there" said Amy clinking glasses with him

"Here's to people willing to take the kids off our hands for a few hours" said Sheldon as Amy responded by putting the glasses on the edge of the tub and wrapped her arms around Sheldon's neck to bring him closer and began kissing him as they rocked against each other

"I hope we come here again in the future, its such a romantic setting" said Amy later on once they were back in their room fooling around even more in bed

"Oh we will come back, I think we should make it a bi-annual trip" replied Sheldon

"I agree to that" said Amy going back in for another kiss

On the final evening of the trip, the group had gathered in Sheldon and Amy's room, the children were playing in the kids room and the adults were talking about the trip and swapping photos of the individual excursions they had gone on when they were surprised to all receive a joint text message from Bernadette and Howard saying that Bernadette was 8 weeks pregnant

_**Next chapter up in a few days**_


	31. Chapter 31

The day after the three couples returned from the Alaska trip, Amy and Sheldon decided to hold a Pizza party to celebrate Bernadette and Howard on their forthcoming new baby

"Congratulations Bernadette but didn't you say just a few months ago you were going to wait a while? Asked Penny

"Yes I did, but then Howard and I were talking and I realised that I wanted another one, Rose is going to be 4 in a few months and Rebecca will be 2 so it's the perfect time to have another one and I recently had a promotion which came with a pay rise" replied Bernadette

"When did you find out? Asked Amy

"Two weeks ago we only went for the scan a few days ago that's why we text you the news, Rose kind of understands and keeps talking about it" said Bernadette

"Maybe one of you girls will be next" commented Howard from the pool to Amy, Penny and Kelly

"Oh no way, not this year anyway" replied Amy

"Same here" said Penny and Kelly together

"I can understand Penny and Kelly seeing as their babies are still less than a year but what about you Amy? Richard is almost two now" said Bernadette

"Well after the trauma of two operations and the recovery of Richards birth, I promised myself and Sheldon that we would wait a while, next year I will probably think about it more but not yet" replied Amy

"You know that's unlikely to happen again though Amy" said Penny

"I know but it put me off for a while" replied Amy shrugging her shoulders as Marie clambered out of the pool and came to Amy and asked a question

"Mommy can we get rabbit like Uncle George said?

"Maybe, I will think about it" replied Amy

"Why?

"Because I said so that's why"

"Richard wants rabbit as well"

"Really? So if I ask him he will say that will he? Asked Amy

"Yes mommy and Archie"

"Archie, come here" called Penny to her son who was sitting in the Wendy house that Sheldon had recently constructed for his daughter

"Yes mommy"

"Marie says she wants a rabbit and that you do to?

"Yeah rabbit" said Archie clapping his hands in excitment

"Fine, you can go back to doing whatever it is that boys do" said Penny

"I think we will need to get some, if we build a run at the back there, we can get a few" replied Amy

"What's with the rabbits? Asked Bernadette

"Marie was fascinated by all the hares and it looks like she has passed that on to Archie" replied Amy

"How was your trip anyway? Asked Bernadette

"Oh Bernie it was fabulous, you and Howard should really think about going there one day and you and Raj as well Kelly, the kids will love the wildlife" replied Penny

"Maybe in the future we can all go together?" said Bernadette

"That would be fun" replied Amy

"Oh Penny one of your regular clients has rearranged their appointment for tomorrow, instead of 11am they have asked to see you at 930 if that's ok" said Alex

"Sure that's no problem, which one is it?

"It's Mrs Carruthers and I know she always spends a lot of money so I didn't want to say no" replied Alex

"That's ok, you did the right thing" said Penny as Archie came back and asked another question

"Mommy can I go in hot tub?

"No not really it's for adults"

"What's adult's mommy?

"It means grown up like me, why don't you go back in the pool with Daddy?

"No want you" said Archie trying to pull Penny up from her seat

"Amy can you just watch Corey for me please" said Penny indicating Corey who was watching everything from his bouncy chair

"Sure"

The little party broke up an hour later as everybody had to take children home to bed and also Amy was due at work early to start the withdrawal phase of the addiction study

The next morning just after Penny had finished with her client, Raj came into the store which Penny was surprised about as she wasn't expecting him, especially as he had George with him

"Penny you need to come with me for a few minutes and you two as well" said Raj indicating Alex and Natasha

"Raj what's going on? I have another client in about 15 minutes, I can't just leave" said Penny

"Look your staff will cover for you, I will explain on the way" said Raj waiting for Penny to talk to one of her team and then leading them out and down the street and stopping several stores down from their own

"What are we doing here? Asked Penny

"This morning I had an email from Esther saying that this property is for sale, its not one of hers but she knows the owner and it is on for a good price" said Raj

"So what are you saying? Asked Penny again

"I have the keys here, we can have a look and see how much it will cost to refurbish, Penny it's on the market for $18 million dollars because it needs work, it has two floors and we can combine our two stores in one" said Raj as he unlocked the door and showed them in

"Can we afford it? Asked Penny

"Yes, Penny you know we have been using some of the Penny Blossom profit for various things and I have spoken to the bank and we only need to give a 10% deposit to secure it, which is $1.8 million dollars and we can afford the repayments as well"

"I didn't even know you were looking for something like this but I have to say despite it needing work it looks like a great size, we can have the women's downstairs and the men's upstairs, is there office and rest space? Asked Penny

"Yes and there is a small basement area which the previous tenants used for storage, which we can do and also there is a much larger office and kitchen space which we can turn into a staff relaxation area" said Raj showing them round the store

"Penny I think it will work well, you can put the waiting area and changing rooms over in this corner here as it is out of the way of the entrance" said Natasha chipping in

"Also the upstairs is pretty much similar in layout to here, there is one office up here as well" said Raj walking them up the escalator which wasn't in full use

"How long will it take to refurbish, it just looks like a bit of redecorating needs doing to me" said Penny

"That is all but because its been left a bit messy that's why some of the price was knocked off and also because the current owners wanted a quick sale and in regards to how long it will take to do all the work, I would say once we have a mortgage in place and all the buildings insurance then maybe no more than two months" said Raj

"Raj you are totally sure we can afford it? Asked Penny

"Yes, I have been thinking for a while and I know it's a little ahead of our five year plan to buy but we can do this Penny, everything in life can be considered a risk and this is worth doing, we are doing so well financially and we will be here as a business for many years and the money we save on two rentals we can use for expanding elsewhere in a few years" replied Raj

"But what about the remainder of our lease on the stores" asked Penny

"Esther said she will be happy to allow us to leave early but its in the lease that if we leave within 6 months of rent renewal then we will have to pay the remaining rent which is fair enough, so what do you think shall we go for it? Asked Raj

"Yes, you seem very sure about the monetary side of it, so I will go with it" replied Penny

"Good because we are the first to see it, I know you have to get back to a client, but I will ring the agent to say we would like it and then go and confirm with the bank" said Raj

"Thanks Raj" said Penny giving him a quick hug and turning to her three managers and doing the same and walking back to her store with them

Meanwhile Amy was not having a good day, the monkeys that were on the study were having a mixture of Alcohol and Cigarettes and they had not reacted well to having nothing in the morning, the tamest monkey which was usually friendly to everybody had managed to escape its cage and try to attack the others through the cage bars and then when Amy tried to secure it, the monkey bit her middle finger on her left hand exposing the bone through the skin, the monkey was eventually secured back in the cage and was currently screeching like crazy

"Grace can you call Sheldon he will drive me to hospital" said Amy using a bandage to try and stem the bleeding

"Amy you know you will probably need a tetanus injection as well" said Dr Carter who had been observing

"Yes I know, that will be nothing compared to having my stomach cut open though" replied Amy as Grace finished the call to Sheldon

"He will be here in a minute"

"Good thanks"

"Amy are you sure you wouldn't rather go in an ambulance? It might be quicker and they will be able to give you pain relief" said Dr Carter

"No it's ok, it's not a life emergency and it's not that painful" replied Amy looking like she was in pain

"Hmm well you can say that but your face suggests otherwise" said Dr Carter as Sheldon appeared

"Sheldon just promise me you wont faint at all the blood, you don't even need to look at the wound, just take me to the hospital" said Amy on spotting him hovering in the doorway

"How bad is the wound? Asked Sheldon

"You don't need to know that but its bad enough that it needs sorting, come on lets go" said Amy as Sheldon led her out of the room and towards the car park

"Wouldn't you rather have somebody else go with you? Asked Sheldon

"Sheldon you were there for my caesarean and you were great, so I am sure you will be for this"

"Thank you for the faith you have in me" said Sheldon helping her into the car

They arrived at the hospital and after a short wait the doctor came and examined Amy's finger, Sheldon sat next to her not looking at the wound

"You are very lucky that you didn't lose the finger, there is enough skin hanging off that we can use to cover up the exposure, but it will require a local anaesthetic so you can't feel what's going on, we will need to give you a tetanus and a course of antibiotics just to cover you for any potential illness with regards to the monkey though, the nurse will be along in a moment to wash out the wound and stitch it up" said the doctor

"Thanks" said Amy noticing Sheldon was sitting with his hands covering his eyes "What are you doing?

"Amy I can't look, I can't even look at blood on me let alone somebody I love" replied Sheldon still not looking at her

"Just hold my good hand then while they stitch me up, remember when I had Marie" said Amy snapping at him

"You seem irritated, what's the matter, is it me? Asked Sheldon

"No its not you and am sorry I made you feel that way, its just that the monkey that did this will have to be removed from the study and it was quite a sweet one and I feel sad about that" replied Amy

"When you say removed from the study where does it go?

"Well it's now going to be classed as unpredictable without alcohol or cigarettes so there is only option" replied Amy looking sad again

"Oh I see" replied Sheldon as the nurse came into the cubicle

"Ok we are just going to clean the wound and then we will give you the local anaesthetic and start with the procedure" said the nurse

"Thanks" said Amy and as the nurse started to unwrap the bandage, Sheldon looked away again but still continued to hold her good hand

The wound required 10 stitches to fix and afterwards Amy was given a tetanus injection and had her finger bandaged up, she also received a text from Dr Carter at Caltech telling her to stay home for the rest of the week which Amy was very unhappy about

"I can still go to work, I just wont be able to do any lab or study work" said Amy complaining as Sheldon with her to the car park

"Do you want me to take you back there? Asked Sheldon

"Yes please and then I can pick up my car as well afterwards, thank you for being there for me Sheldon, I know you hate hospitals and all the germs but you have faced your fears recently what with coming with into the theatre when I had Richard and just now"

"Amy you are my wife and it's my job to look after you, you would do the same for me" replied Sheldon leaning down to kiss her gently and hugging her

"You are very sweet" said Amy smiling at him as they set off back towards Caltech

Once they arrived, Amy along with Sheldon went straight to Dr Carter's office, she was surprised to see her

"Amy I said to stay home for the rest of the week so you can recover, how's the finger?"

"The finger is fine now, have a few stitches and I know I should go home but I would rather be here working on my reports, I will have to stay out of the lab anyway so this can't get infected" said Amy indicating her finger

"Amy you know the procedures here but if you insist then please take the rest of the day off and come back tomorrow" said Dr Carter

"Thank you, did you remove the monkey?

"Yes, you know it can't stay here"

"I know and I will go home now, see you tomorrow" said Amy leaving the office and making their way to the car park

"Amy I will come home with you, it's nearly 1pm and I can work from home anyway" said Sheldon

"Sure but I can drive my own car home" replied Amy

"No absolutely not, you may only have an injured finger but I will take you home then drive your mom here to pick up your car" said Sheldon firmly taking her by the hand to his own car

"Oh I do like it when you assert control" said Amy looking up at him in a flirtatious way

"Really, well maybe we can do something about tonight when we are alone" replied Sheldon

"Cant wait for that" replied Amy and once they were in the car, they had a little kissing session before Sheldon drove them home

Penny was on her way home from finishing with her clients when she received a text from Raj that he was on his way to her house to see her and that he had good news, she arrived home at the same time as Sheldon and Amy pulled up in their driveway

"What are you two doing home so early? Called Penny from her front garden

"Oh one of the monkeys chewed through my finger and I had to have stitches" replied Amy walking over to the fence and showing her the finger in question

"Sounds painful, I have some business with Raj to talk about but I will be over afterwards to talk more" said Penny

"Ok, see you shortly" said Amy going back to her house

Raj arrived at Penny's house shortly afterwards with the news that Penny had been waiting to hear

"Ok, I went to the bank and they have accepted our offer, I have transferred the deposit fund and have sorted out the insurance for the building and arranged for decorators to start next week, Penny in two months we will be able to move in just like I said we would"

"Oh this is so exciting Raj, thank you for organising everything" said Penny

"That's not all though, I talked with Esther about the remainder of the lease and because we are essentially still going to be trading in the two stores for the next 6 weeks instead of just leaving, she has allowed us to stay and wont require any further rental money once we leave, although she did request personal shopper service free of charge for the next year" said Raj

"I can do that and that's good she agreed to that, I have a question though" said Penny

"Ok go ahead"

"We will have to have a time of non trading once the new store is ready to move everything from our current stores wont we?

"Yes of course, I would suggest that we will only be closed for a week and we can get all the staff together to help move things over, we have enough staff to do that, even I will help" replied Raj

"So when are you thinking of us moving over there?

"Let's see, I would say maybe the second week of May at the earliest, gives us plenty of time, I will also update the website with the new address and also we can put posters up in the store"

"Excellent, look come next door with me so we can tell Sheldon and Amy, I already text Leonard earlier the news, he was very happy for us" said Penny as she led them out of the house and round to Amy's, Archie greeted her very enthusiastically

"Mommy, Amy hurt finger" said Archie hugging her

"I know, did she tell you how it happened?

"Yes a monkey bit her, I kissed it better" replied Archie

"That's sweet, are you ok?

"Yes mommy, Barbara gone" said Archie, Amy clarified for him

"Sheldon insisted on driving me home and he's taken Barbara to collect my car" said Amy as she told them the rest of the story

"Oh, Raj and I have some news, we are buying our own store and we can integrate the men and women's collection together" said Penny

"That is good news, I have champagne to celebrate if you like"

"Maybe we could have a celebration tonight once everybody is home from work, although I wouldn't say no to a glass now" replied Penny

"Yes of course, although I can't drink because I am on antibiotics to aid the healing of this" replied Amy indicating her sore finger as Sheldon arrived back with Barbara, she quickly informed them of Penny and Raj's news

"We can have the celebration here tonight" said Sheldon

"Are you sure, you held a pizza party just last night, we don't want to take advantage of your generous hospitality" said Penny

"We love hosting and especially when something good happens" replied Sheldon

"Ok, I will text everybody to come over tonight then" said Penny

"Mommy can we go in pool tonight? Asked Marie who had been listening to the conversation

"Yes of course, daddy will have to go in with you though" replied Amy

"I go in pool on my own?" said Marie looking at Sheldon

"No you still need supervision, maybe when you are a little older" replied Sheldon leaning over to tickle her, Marie started to giggle and laugh

"Me tickle as well" said Archie standing next to Sheldon

"Me as well" chipped in Richard

"All of you together then" replied Sheldon chasing them out of the kitchen and into the lounge where lots of squealing could be heard, followed by Daisy and Cassie barking at them and joining in with the play, Amy and Penny went to the lounge to observe

"I think several people could do with a walk and that includes the dogs, you coming Penny?" asked Amy

"Yes of course, let me just get Jess and Jack and I will be with you"

"Penny you can leave Corey if you like, he is still asleep" said Barbara

"Thanks"

Later that evening, the friends had gathered at Amy and Sheldon's house and Amy had brought in the Chinese food that everybody liked and Penny and Raj announced their news, Amy decided to make a toast for her bestie

"I just want to say congratulations to Penny and Raj, on new beginnings for the business" said Amy raising her glass of non alcoholic wine to the group

_**Next Chapter up soon**_


	32. Chapter 32

The next day Penny and Raj arranged a meeting that she requested all her staff to attend for 6pm once the stores had closed, only Natasha, Alex and Kelly knew of what was happening

"Ok thank you all for coming at short notice, Raj and I have some news that will affect everybody, we have bought the two storey building a few doors down and we be moving both stores into one, this will save the company money from paying two rentals"

"Also once the store is completed we will require all of your help to move things over and get the stock sorted, both the stores will be closed for trading for one week to achieve this and all of you will receive a generous bonus in helping us to achieve this" said Raj

"I have a question" asked Christine, who was one of Penny's most experienced employee

"Go ahead" replied Penny

"Will you still be employing the same amount of staff?

"Yes of course, we are intending to have the men's section on the 1st floor and the women's on the ground"

"So presumably Natasha and George will be overall managers still? Continued Christine

"Yes, they will be responsible for their sections, nothing will change in the way that we are already operating now"

"Also we expect to be in the store by around the beginning of May" continued Raj

"That's all we wanted to say for now, you will all be informed of developments over the course of the next few weeks, if you have any concerns please come and see myself or Raj" said Penny ending the meeting

"Well everybody seemed happy enough" said Penny once they were left alone

"Yes, this will be a good thing for the company and I want our employees to be happy in their work environment, I would suggest we take everybody out on a fun evening out so the two can mix together because the only time they really all get together is when we have meetings and if they are all going to be in the same store I want their to be a good atmosphere that transfers onto the customers" said Raj

"I totally agree" replied Penny as they left the office and out on to the main floor where Leonard was waiting to take her out

Amy had returned to work but as her office was next to the lab where the monkeys were she found she couldn't concentrate, she had gone to Dr Carter's office to say she would be working from home for the final two days of the week and collected work things together and gone home, Barbara was surprised to see her

"What are you doing home so early?

"I needed to get out of the office, I can hear the monkeys chattering next door and I couldn't concentrate, I have some reports and analysis to do though so I will be working in the office for a couple of hours" replied Amy

"Do you want a drink? I was just making one" said her mother

"Oh thanks, how's Corey and Richard? Asked Amy knowing that Marie and Archie were at nursery

"They are fine, playing in the lounge"

"You can go home once Marie and Archie are back, I will watch them for the rest of the day, Sheldon and I have Corey and Archie tonight anyway as Penny and Leonard are having a date" said Amy

"If you are sure, also I will take Marie and Richard tomorrow night and bring them back Saturday so you can have date night with Sheldon" replied Barbara as she set about making tea for Amy

"Thanks mom also as you are having them tomorrow night, I will just take tomorrow as a rest day and mind all the kids"

Amy went up to her office and starting working on some of the data she had received from the addiction study, checking her emails she noticed one from Faisal inviting her, Sheldon and the children to Saudi in the summer, she decided to speak to Sheldon about it that night, Barbara arrived back with Archie and Marie and making sure Amy was ok with all of them made her way home, Sheldon arrived home and found Amy on the settee with all four children cuddling up to her

"Hi kids, Amy" said Sheldon as he greeted them all with hugs and a kiss for Amy

"Hello daddy" shouted Richard and Marie

"How's today been? Asked Sheldon

"Very good, I managed to get some work done, now we have a house full as you can see"

"I bought Pizza for everybody, well except Corey I don't know if he is allowed it" said Sheldon

"Oh I think he can have a tiny piece, it wont hurt" said Amy as Marie and Archie jumped off the settee and tackled hugged Sheldon who was standing up then he dropped to his knees

"Daddy want to play" said Marie sitting on his belly

"I know but I am not a trampoline for you to bounce on Marie" puffed Sheldon

"Daddy can we have a trampoline? Asked Marie

"I don't see why not, maybe we can get one at the weekend" replied Sheldon

"Rabbit too" said Archie chiming in

"Yes that too I guess, do you want to come and choose with us Archie? Asked Amy

"Yeah"

"Alright come to the dining room and sit at the table and eat the pizza" said Amy picking Corey up and carrying him through to the dining room

Once the kids were sitting, she served the pizza, Sheldon was leaning against the side watching her, which Amy spotted

"What?

"Nothing just that I admire how great you are with the kids that's all, nothing seems to bother you" replied Sheldon

"I don't know how to respond to that" said Amy shrugging off the compliment

"Take it for what is" replied Sheldon smiling at her as she walked past him to the fridge, he grabbed her arm and pulled her in for a cuddle and a kiss

"Oh Sheldon by the way Faisal has invited us to Saudi for a week in the summer" said Amy

"No" was all that came from Sheldon in response

"What do you mean no? You don't want to talk about it? Asked Amy in surprise

"Exactly" replied Sheldon

"That doesn't make any sense, you need to at least explain why you seem to be against this" said Amy removing herself from the cuddle and walking away from him, Sheldon felt cold after she did this but was determined not to give in

"Amy you know I don't like the man, whilst I have to accept you have some weird bond with him because he funds you, it doesn't mean that I will have my wife accepting favours and holidays from him"

"Sheldon he has funded my lab for the last 10 years of my working career and I used to go to Saudi every summer before I met you, I havent seen him for a while and I just thought it would be nice to accept this invitation" said Amy quite reasonably

"Well I don't" replied Sheldon picking up his phone and car keys then walking towards the front door

"Where are you going? You can't just leave in the middle of an argument" said Amy following him

"Out and you need to think about this Amy, we are not going to Saudi" replied Sheldon firmly as he opened he door and left

"Mommy what's the matter with Daddy? Asked Marie

"Oh he is unhappy about something, just eat your pizza"

Sheldon phoned George whilst he was in the car, he needed to speak to somebody and knowing that Leonard was out with Penny he couldn't speak to him

"George where are you? Asked Sheldon once George answered

"I am at Natasha's why what's the matter?

"Is it ok if I come up?

"Sure" replied George after a moment of muffled conversation

Sheldon turned the car around and drove back to the apartment block and went up to his old apartment and knocked

"Hi Sheldon what's up? Asked Natasha opening the door, Sheldon noticed Alex was in the kitchen making a drink

"Oh Amy and I had a silly disagreement and I walked out, sorry to interrupt your evening"

"Its ok, Alex and I will go and see her, you two can talk" replied Natasha leaving

"What was the row about? Asked George offering Sheldon a beer

"Oh it's just the guy that funds her lab wants to invite us to Saudi for the summer and I said no and Amy can't understand why I don't want her to go"

"Why don't you want her to go anyway?

"Because I don't want her to have anything to do with him, I understand he funds her lab but that doesn't mean they need to see each other and be all cosy

"If it is strictly business then there will be no cosiness going on, Sheldon are you jealous?

"Don't be ridiculous"

"It sure seems like it, you have never had a reason to doubt Amy's commitment to you, don't start now" said George

"Well I cannot allow her to go" replied Sheldon slumping back into the couch, George just looked at him and shrugged his shoulders in despair

Meanwhile, Alex and Natasha were at Amy's and having found out the story were trying to offer advice

"Amy it's obvious that Sheldon doesn't want you near Faisal, maybe he is jealous" said Natasha

"I don't see why, he has nothing to be jealous about"

"Didn't you two used to be engaged? Asked Alex

"Yes but that was for funding purposes and absolutely nothing romantic, Sheldon knows that, I am glad though that he is not wandering the streets and is talking to George about it" said Amy

"I think the only way to get this resolved is to just say you are not going to Saudi, it will solve a lot of problems" said Natasha

"Maybe you are right but I only suggested it to Sheldon and he wouldn't even talk about it, let me just call him and ask him to come home" said Amy going up to her bedroom to call him

Marie clambered onto the sofa with a book and sat next to Alex

"Alex can you read me story?

"Sure sweetie" replied Alex

"Auntie Tasha can you read me story? Asked Archie who copied everything Marie did

"Sure anything for my number one nephew" replied Natasha as Amy came back downstairs

"He's not answering, I will let him come back in his own time, I don't want to bother him but I will just text him anyway" replied Amy

"Will you be ok? Asked Natasha

"Yes fine, we have had little blips before and it will be sorted out, sorry that you got dragged into it though"

"Happy to help" replied Alex as Natasha nodded

"We will go back home and ask Sheldon to come back" said Natasha

"Thanks" replied Amy as she set about tidying up after the kids had made a mess of the kitchen

A few minutes later, Natasha rang her to say George and Sheldon were not in the apartment and she was trying to ring George to see where he was. Leonard and Penny arrived back at 9pm and Sheldon still hadn't come back home, Amy told them what happened

"He's probably out with George somewhere talking" said Leonard

"I suppose but I can't worry about that now, I have to put Marie and Richard to bed, your boys were very good, I am not working tomorrow, have you got any appointments?

"None why? Asked Penny

"Maybe we can take the kids out for the day" replied Amy

"Sure why not it will be fun" said Penny

Amy put the kids to bed and then made herself a cup of tea and went into the lounge to watch some TV, by 11pm Sheldon or George still hadn't turned up so she went to bed, hoping that they would come back during the night, she woke up in the morning to a text from George saying that Sheldon was sleeping on the sofa in 4a and that he was drunk so he thought it best to keep him there

Amy set about getting the kids breakfast, she was extremely angry with Sheldon for staying out and wanted to have it out with him but he was still not answering his phone, George arrived back just before 7am on his own

"Sorry Amy I tried to bring him back last night but he wouldn't have it, I tried to talk to him and I think he is jealous of this Faisal guy"

"I know and there is no reason for him to be, I text him that as well but I didn't get an answer"

"I would leave him to come back on his own, no point in causing further aggro" said George

"Well I am going out with Penny and the kids, so Sheldon can sort himself out" replied Amy

"Ok I can't stay as I have to be at work by 9, am just going for a quick shower and I will be off" said George

Amy text Penny to say she would be ready at 9 and set about getting the kids dressed and ready and met her outside, they were using their own cars for the trip

"I think we should take them to kidsscape park again" said Amy

"Sure why not, did Sheldon come home?

"No and George said he was drunk and I don't want to deal with a hung-over Sheldon, I will talk to him later, I will bring the dogs as well, give them some exercise" replied Amy

"Amy you can't just pretend things haven't happened, you need to talk to him"

"I know and I will later, the kids are more important at the moment" replied Amy strapping Marie and Richard into the car seats then she text her mom to say she would bring the kids over at 4pm, she hoped Sheldon would be back by then and they could talk

Sheldon woke up in his old apartment feeling very hung over and with Alex sitting in the armchair watching over him

"Have some water Sheldon, it will help a little"

"Thanks but first I think I need to vomit" replied Sheldon rushing to the bathroom, he returned a few minutes later

"Feeling better? Asked Alex passing him the water and some pain killers

"No not really, I am guessing that Amy is going to be mad at me for staying out all night"

"Only one way to find out and it would have helped if you had answered her calls and texts instead of ignoring her" replied Alex

"Yes well I had my reasons for that"

"Well you need to go and talk to her then" replied Alex

Sheldon left the apartment and deciding not to risk driving his car the short distance he walked back to his house and noticed Amy's car was gone, he let himself in and found an empty house and no note from Amy, he tried to ring and got no answer so went up to shower and then made his way to work, Leonard was waiting for him in his office

"Oh boy you look rough" said Leonard on seeing Sheldon

"Yes well I feel it, Amy wasn't home and she's not answering her phone"

"Yeah she and Penny have gone out for the day with the kids" said Leonard

"Do you know where? Maybe I can go and find them"

"I don't think that's a good idea, Amy is giving you the space that you clearly wanted last night"

"But I don't want space from her, I love her and the kids"

"Yes well you will have to tell her that when she comes home, Sheldon just go home, you will be able to sleep and recover more to face her"

"No I need to get some equations done and I have to give a lecture as well"

Amy and Penny had a great day out with the kids and Amy returned home alone after taking the kids to her moms house, she let herself in after promising Penny that she would be fine and she would meet up with her after she had spoken to Sheldon, she let herself in and went up to her room to shower and change, she had no idea if Sheldon was coming back but she wanted him to see what he could be missing

She had got dressed up like it was still date night and had just finished styling her hair when she heard the front door shut and Sheldon walking around downstairs before he came up to their room, Sheldon was taken aback and confused by the sight of Amy dressed up in front of him

"Hi Amy"

"Hi Amy? Is that all I am getting after you disappear and refuse to acknowledge any contact I made with you" said Amy noticing Sheldon had bags under his eyes and looked awful

"No look I was just coming to that" said Sheldon shuffling his feet and fidgeting with his hands

"Well get on with it then" said Amy losing patience with him

"Amy you know I don't like that man and yet you were willing to ignore that and just go and accept his invitation"

"No Sheldon that's where you are wrong, I was only asking you about it to see what you thought, when you said no immediately without explanation then I wanted to know why but you just walked out refusing to speak about it, how the hell do you think that makes me feel?

"Sounded like you had made up your mind"

"When have I ever made a decision without you Sheldon and I thought you could trust me?"

"I do trust you and I love you"

"Funny way of showing it" replied Amy brushing past Sheldon and going downstairs

"Are we still having date night? Asked Sheldon following her

"Why?

"Because you are all dressed up and looking great"

"I am dressed up because I am going out with the girls" said Amy putting her purse and phone into her bag

"Amy please don't go out, stay with me"

"Sheldon you look and smell like a wreck, the kids are with my mom, don't wait up" said Amy as she left the house and knocked on Penny's door, they left together in Amy's car as Sheldon watched them leave

"You know he didn't even apologise"

"Are you two going to be alright? Asked Penny looking at Amy in concern as she parked outside Kelly's house to pick her up and also Natasha and Alex who were waiting

"Yes if he gets over his jealousy, hi girls" said Amy

"Hi Ames, thanks for inviting us out"

"No problems, we haven't had a girl's night out for ages" said Amy looking slightly happier

"Is Bernadette coming? Asked Alex

"Yes she is going to meet us at the bar" replied Penny

"Amy promise me you are not going to get hammered like Sheldon did" said Penny

"Of course I am not, that's why I am driving, I don't need a drink to be happy"

"You know he loves you" said Penny

"Yes and I love him but I am not putting up with silly jealousy just because I mentioned something that I wanted him just to think about" said Amy

At the bar, Amy enjoyed having the girls to talk to and help her deal with Sheldon's stubbornness and at the end of the evening she made her way back inside the house, Sheldon was in the lounge with George watching one of his star wars/trek movies when Amy walked past towards the kitchen, she made herself a glass of water

"Did you have a good night? Sheldon asked when he came into to see her

"Yes thanks" replied Amy gulping down the water and making herself some more and leaving the kitchen and making her way upstairs

"Where are you going now?

"To bed, good night Sheldon" replied Amy not even looking at him

Once upstairs she had a quick shower then tried to sleep, she heard Sheldon coming up the stairs and then getting into bed, Sheldon spent a sleepless night wondering what to do to fix things and in the morning when Amy woke up she turned over, she noticed he was wide awake and watching her, but she was in a happier mood so decided to talk to him

"Morning Sheldon"

"Amy I am so sorry for being jealous and everything that followed, I am scared of losing you"

"You are not going to lose me Sheldon, when I married you it was forever and thank you for the apology that was all I wanted, you can be so stubborn"

"If you want us to go to Saudi then we will"

"I don't want to go there, I was just asking what you thought about it, but look at the bother it has caused, I don't want to go through that again"

"Me either" replied Sheldon

"Good and remember if there is something bad like this happening, we talk about it, not run off and get hammered" said Amy leaving over to stroke his face

"I love you Amy"

"Right back at you" replied Amy leaving over to kiss him

"By the way you looked hot last night, maybe you could wear that dress for me on our next date night"

"Maybe"

"So we are ok now?

"Sheldon we are more than ok, look its still early and you look as if you haven't slept all night, I am going to get up and work on the things I should of done yesterday, you go back to sleep"

"Ok but I am taking you and the kids out for lunch to make up for not being here" replied Sheldon taking Amy in his arms and kissing her for a very long time

"I hope that helps you to sleep Sheldon" said Amy smiling at him and leaving the room

_**Next Chapter up soon**_


	33. Chapter 33

_**Cheers for comments, reviews and follows**_

After Amy left the bedroom she went downstairs had breakfast and then made herself a flask of tea and breaking the house rules of no dogs upstairs, she left the stair gate open and went up to the office in the attic conversion to carry on with her work that she should of done on Friday, both Daisy and Cassie were laying on the floor next to her, she had been working for a couple of hours when she heard George get up, he popped his head round the door as he passed

"Morning Amy, you ok?

"Yes thanks, sorry if I woke you"

"You didn't, have you sorted things out with Sheldon yet?

"Yes we spoke this morning when I woke up, he said he was sorry but I don't need him getting jealous over nothing again" replied Amy

"Ok, do you want me to take these two out for a walk? Asked George indicating the dogs

"Sure thanks, I just have a bit more work to do"

George left with the dogs and Amy carried on for a bit longer when Sheldon came up to the office

"Morning Amy"

"Morning" replied Amy giving him a brief smile and carrying on with her analysis, Sheldon had the sense that Amy may still of been mad with him and decided to try and make things better, he walked up behind her chair and leant down behind her and wrapped his arms around her neck and kissed her shoulders, however he didn't get the response that he usually got

"Sheldon if you want to do something useful then I would suggest going to the pet superstore and buying one of the rabbit pens so the kids can have rabbits" said Amy still not looking at him

"Amy look at me" said Sheldon, Amy stopped working and turned her chair towards him

"Yes?

"You don't want to talk?

"I have important work to do, now could you just do as I asked please? Replied Amy turning her chair back, Sheldon stopped her from turning away from her again and tried to kiss her but Amy moved her head away, Sheldon took his cue to leave and went downstairs, George had arrived back with the dogs

"Do you want to come to the pet superstore with me? Amy is working and doesn't want me getting in the way" said Sheldon

"Sure, I have nothing else to do today, I thought you two were okay now?

"So did I but I don't know anymore"

"Hmm then I would suggest making a gesture of some type, to get back in her good books"

"Yes I did that before a few years ago thanks to Leonards suggestion but I don't know what to get her" replied Sheldon

"You're supposed to be the brainy one out of us, you need to think about it, we are going into town anyway maybe we can find something"

Amy was supposed to be working in the office but she heard Sheldon and George talking and then leaving so she rang Penny and arranged for a group night out on Friday as she knew her Mom would look after her and Penny's kids at her own house, Bernadette and Kelly also agreed and arranged for babysitters

Sheldon and George had been to the pet superstore and after speaking with the staff had managed to pack a large rabbit hutch and a run which needed to be built from scratch into the back of the car after putting down the back seats, they pulled up outside the house as Leonard was leaving his and he offered to help

"By the way Sheldon, Amy is at ours talking with Penny"

"I see, so she is happy to talk to her friends but not her husband"

"Well only to arrange for us all to go out on Friday, apparently to the same bar they went to last night, Barbara is going to be minding our kids"

"Right, well I need to get back in her good books and building this thing will be a start as well as the gift I have got her" replied Sheldon as they walked all the gear round the side of the house and through to the garden

They decided on a spot towards the back and set about building the run, Amy and Penny were now in the kitchen watching them work and Barbara had brought the kids back as they were almost finished the run

"Mom thanks for looking after them, were they good? Asked Amy

"Yes they always are, if you and Sheldon want some time alone after the events of the last two days then I can take them again tonight" said Barbara

"Oh sure that might work thanks" said Amy hugging her mom

"No problems"

"Ok kids, who wants to go and get some rabbits? Asked Amy

"Me" shouted Marie as Archie and Richard also said the same

"Amy are you sure you ok keeping Archie's rabbit here? Asked Penny

"Yes of course, I think we should get all females though, come on lets go, by the time we get back they may of finished" said Amy taking the kids out to the car and leaving

At the superstore, Marie picked out an all white rabbit, Richard chose a white and black rabbit and Archie wanted an all brown one, they put the rabbits in a box that was provided and bought some straw and a large selection of rabbit food and made their way back home

Marie was beyond excited to see the rabbits again and wanted to hold it before it went into the run

"Daddy, we got rabbits" said Marie on spotting Sheldon in the kitchen with Leonard and George, Amy had gone straight through to the garden to inspect the run and laid out the straw in the hutch

"That's good because I just built a run for them to go in, shall we take them out? Asked Sheldon

"Yes Daddy" said Marie leading the way

The run was about 10 feet long and had a wire mesh roof to protect the rabbits from any predatory birds or local cats, Sheldon took the rabbits out and let them into the run

"Mommy look they are playing" said Archie clapping his hands excitedly as he Marie and Richard sat on the grass watching them through the wire mesh, Daisy and Cassie were also watching very curiously and sniffing through the fence as the rabbits moved around

"I know sweetie" said Penny

"Well the kids seem happy so that's good, do you want tea Penny? Asked Amy

"Yes sure"

"Amy can I talk to you please? Asked Sheldon

"Sure, go ahead"

"Not here in front of everybody" said Sheldon taking her hand and leading her upstairs to their room, he sat down on the small sofa and indicated for her to join him which she did but at the opposite end of the seat

"What's the matter Sheldon?

"I just want to make sure we are ok? You were very off with me this morning"

"Sheldon as I told you I had some important work to do, if you were working on something important I wouldn't bother you"

"Well I am sorry about that but I have got you something" said Sheldon taking a bag from his coat and passing it to her

"What's this?

"Just open it and you will see" said Sheldon, Amy opened the box and found a monkey charm bracelet inside

"Why did you get me this?

"It's to say sorry for upsetting you, it seemed to work with the tiara that time"

"Sheldon I don't need gifts, I just need you to not be jealous, do you think you can do that? Asked Amy passing the box back to him, Sheldon looked at her astonished

"Yes of course but what about this? Said Sheldon holding the box to her

"I don't want it, thank you for doing that for the kids, they look like they appreciate it and they are not the only ones, you all did a very good job there" replied Amy

"Oh thank you" said Sheldon brightening up at the compliment

"By the way we are all going out on Friday" said Amy

"Yes I know Leonard told me earlier, why are we going out exactly? Asked Sheldon

"Just because we haven't gone out as a group without the children for a long time and I think it will be nice" said Amy

"How's your finger anyway?

"Its fine, as you can see I have taken the bandage off, did you want to see? Asked Amy holding out her hand

"No no no" replied Sheldon backing away from the outstretched hand

"Oh come here, I hate it when we fight" said Amy moving closer to him and hugging him, she pulled away from the hug and they both smiled at each other sharing a moment of eye coitus before Amy leant into him and kissed him hard on the lips

"Come on lets go downstairs also I promised I would take you and the kids out for lunch and its too late now, so how about we go tomorrow and instead? Said Sheldon

"Sheldon you have already made it up to us by what's out in the garden" replied Amy kissing him again

"I think we need to go downstairs otherwise I will lock the bedroom door and spend the rest of the day doing naughty things to you" said Sheldon looking at Amy intensely, she knew the look he was giving her and she was tempted to stay up there

"Come on lets go, mom is taking the kids tonight again" said Amy taking his hand and leading him downstairs, they spent the rest of the afternoon with the kids before Barbara took them back to her house

It was now the following Friday and the group had arranged to meet at the bar for 8pm, Amy and Sheldon were currently in her bedroom getting ready. Amy was wearing the dress that Sheldon had seen her in and liked the previous week, things had improved massively between them in the last few days and no more had been said of their little fight, Amy was sitting down at her dressing table putting her make up on, Sheldon came up behind her and wrapping his arms around her neck, he moved her hair away from her shoulders to kiss them, this time he got a better response as Amy shivered slightly at his touch

"You know Amy your hair looks lovely when you style it like that, it's like when you had it for our wedding"

"Thanks" replied Amy as she finished her make up and stood up and straightened her dress which had crinkled slightly

"Also you are looking very sexy" replied Sheldon looking her up and down, Amy felt her tummy flip at the look he was giving her, Sheldon held his hand out for her and walked her to the bed and sat her down on the edge before going in for an intense kiss that last several minutes leaving them both aroused and horny

"I think we should go and wait for the taxi downstairs otherwise we will never get out of here tonight" said Amy standing up

"You are right but once we are home, you are all mine Mrs Cooper"

"Now that I look forward to" replied Amy hugging him and turning around but Sheldon grabbed her waist and pulled her into another kiss

"I am so lucky to have you Amy" said Sheldon as a knock at the door came

"That will be Leonard and Penny they are sharing a taxi with us" said Amy going downstairs and opening the door

"Hi Amy the taxi has just arrived, you ready? Asked Penny

"Sure let me just get my purse and keys" said Amy as she left the house, Sheldon locked up and they made their way to the bar

The bar was already busy but Bernadette and Howard had just arrived and were sitting in a large booth that Natasha and George had secured for them all, Raj and Kelly were there also and the friends greeted each other warmly, the men of the group went off to get drinks for them all

"I feel like it's been so long since we have done this" said Bernadette shouting above the noise

"I know that's why I suggested it, a change is as good as the rest" said Amy

"How's the morning sickness going Bernie? Asked Penny

"Its ok, it only lasted a week, now don't judge me but I will have one glass of wine while I am here, I am allowed that much at least" said Bernie

"Nobody is judging you" said Kelly as Alex arrived with a man that nobody had seen before, he was very tall and looked like he worked out but not to the point that it was ridiculous

"Hi guys this Mitchell we have been dating for a few weeks, Mitchell this is everybody" said Alex introducing him to her friends

"Hey" said Mitchell

"So where did you two meet? Asked Amy

"Oh we met at the gym" replied Alex

"What do you want to drink? Asked Mitchell to Alex

"Oh a white wine please" said Alex smiling at him

"He's nice, what does he do for a living? Asked Penny

"Oh he is a personal trainer at the gym I go to" replied Alex

The guys came back with the drinks, Sheldon sat next to Amy and put his arm around her shoulders, he was trying not to be too territorial over her but he had less problems than Leonard as he noticed a lot of the men in the bar staring at Penny, she of course missed nothing and was reassured whispering into his ear, it didn't help his cause that Penny was looking stunning in a light blue dress that showed off her figure

"So do you two know what you would like next? Boy or girl? Asked Amy

"Oh I don't mind but I think Howie would like a boy so he can play boy games with him" said Bernie kissing her husband

"Well you might be able to find out in a few weeks" said Penny

"Yes let's hope so" replied Howard

"By the way Nat, George, Kelly and Alex, Raj and I have organised a works evening out so that the two groups can spend a bit of time together bonding, if you are all working in the same building you will need to get on, its on Saturday night next week" said Penny

"Oh that sounds like fun" said Kelly

"Yes and I have spoken to Amy and she and Sheldon will mind Chandra and Anita for you"

"We will? Asked Sheldon who was surprised to hear this news

"Yes they have helped us in the past and now it's our turn to return the favour" said Amy

"Where are we going? Asked George

"To a bowling alley, there is no better fun than that" said Raj

Penny and Amy went and got the next round of drinks and were chatting and waiting at the bar when two men came up either side of them

"Alright" said the man to Penny's left

"Yes thanks" said Penny not looking at him

"Fancy coming to a club with me and my mate here? Asked the same guy

"No thanks, I am here with my friends and my husband"

"What about you" said the guy to Amy's right

"Same answer" replied Amy looking behind her, she could see Sheldon and Leonard watching what was going on and talking to each other

"Playing hard to get I see, come on have some fun, my name is Wesley, he is Tony"

"Still not interested, so I suggest you get lost" said Penny as the barman finally took her order she and Amy collected the drinks and took them to her table

"What was that about? Asked Sheldon

"Nothing just two losers wanting to take us to a club" said Amy taking a sip of her drink

"You said no presumably?

"Of course, I thought we had been over this last week"

"Yes but this is guys hitting on my wife in front of me and I am not having it" said Sheldon as he tried to get up but was pulled back down by George

"Just sit down, Amy is not interested you need to get over yourself Sheldon" said George pushing him back firmly into his seat, the others noticed and were now gawping at him, Amy got up and went to the bathroom to get away from him and Penny followed her

"Sheldon he is right, Amy is with you and you need to trust her just like I trust Penny" said Leonard

"I can't help it"

"Well you will have to try, look at the guys in this bar, they are all much better looking than me and even with Penny being ogled over by them I know I am the one she is coming home to, just trust Amy" said Leonard

Meanwhile in the bathroom Amy was trying to calm down enough that she could go back outside to Sheldon

"You know I thought we were over the jealousy thing, he could see with his own eyes that I have no interest in anybody but him but that doesn't seem to be enough"

"Amy you are the only woman that he has ever been romantically involved with, I mean sure he can't help the jealousy thing, have you seen how great you are looking? Asked Penny

"How do you mean?

"You look great, learn to take a compliment! Now I suggest going back out there and just acting normally, don't make a big deal out of this otherwise you will be back to what happened last week and I know all about screwing up relationships" said Penny ruefully

"Yes I can see your point" said Amy as she went back out to the bar area she passed the two guys that had given Sheldon worries and she flipped them the finger before sitting back next to Sheldon and kissing him

"What was that for" asked Sheldon

"Just for being my husband and I love you" smiled Amy as Sheldon put his arm back around her

"Well I love you back" replied Sheldon although he was confused that Amy hadn't made any comments about what just happened

The group continued to have a good evening and no more was said of the jealousy incident, the bar also had a little dance area with a DJ and by midnight everyone in the group were up dancing, the fact that most of them were drunk also seem to a factor in this, Amy had gone up to the DJ and asked for a romantic song and it was now being played and she and Sheldon were swaying along kissing and hugging each other, when the song ended she and Sheldon went back to their seating area while the others continued to dance, as they were alone they carried on kissing and fooling around until it was closing time, Amy called a cab for her, Sheldon, Leonard and Penny and they were now sitting on a wall outside waiting for it to arrive

"Golly its cold out here" said Amy shivering

"Well you are only wearing a dress after all" replied Sheldon hugging her to warm her up

"You can warm me up indoors Sheldon" said Amy flirtily, Sheldon responded by kissing her which brought wolf whistles from their friends and calls of "get a room"

Their taxi arrived and the four of them got in, they arrived home very quickly as their was no traffic and wishing Leonard and Penny a good night, they made their way into their own home

"Come on lets make use of our bedroom" said Amy taking him upstairs and pushing Sheldon onto the bed, she mounted him and kissed him, all the while undoing his zip and pulling his trousers and boxers down, his arousal was very much evident

"Amy lets not rush this we have all night" replied Sheldon

"Really, well what do you say to this then" said Amy grinding against his erection and unbuttoning his shirt

"I think its beyond magnificent" panted Sheldon as Amy continued to rock against him, she then stopped and rolled off him, laying beside him she pulled him into her arms and wrapped her legs around his as he kissed her which continued until they were breathless

"Let's get out of the rest of our clothes they are just getting in the way" said Amy getting off the bed

"Hold on a moment" replied Sheldon also getting off the bed, he was naked from the waist down and picked Amy up, then leaning against the wall for support, Amy shifted the lower part of her dress out of the way and she wrapped her legs round his as he thrust against her wetness

"Oh my goodness Sheldon" murmured Amy into his neck, she bit him gently which made him almost drop her then walking her back to the bed, he took her dress and bra off and laying back down together they explored each others bodies, with moans of lust and excitement and gently rocking against each other, Sheldon then got a condom and his drunken state tried and failed to put it on

It doesn't matter, I'm on the pill remember" said Amy desperate to carry on

"Oh yes" replied Sheldon manoeuvring himself on top of Amy and guiding his erection into her, Amy squirmed underneath him as he thrust into her and he licked, sucked and fondled her breasts and leant down to kiss her, still penetrating deeper every time until they both orgasmed within a few minutes of each other, they both lay sweating and panting afterwards

"I think that was a fantastic way to end a great night, don't you think" mumbled Sheldon into Amy's shoulder

"Of course"

"I promise you I will never get jealous again"

"Well I would hope not when you come home to what we just did, now you just gave me a treat and I am going to the same for you" said Amy sliding down the bed and taking Sheldon's erection in her mouth

"Oh boy" murmured Sheldon from the top of the bed enjoying the sensation

_**I wanted to end the chapter in a naughty way after their previous stress**_

_**Next chapter up very soon**_


	34. Chapter 34

_**4 weeks later**_

_**Focusing more on the other characters**_

Bernadette and Howard were at the hospital for her 12 week scan, they had just been shown into the room and the doctor was now running the sonogram pointer over her belly, the doctor looked at the picture checking various things and turned up the volume so they could hear the heartbeat

"As you can hear, the baby sounds fine and from what we can see the baby is growing normally, did you want to know the sex?

"Oh yes please" said Howard straight away, Bernadette nodded

"Well if you look closely at the screen, you will be able to see for yourselves as the baby is facing us" said the doctor

Howard and Bernadette did what the doctor asked and Howard was especially delighted at what he saw

"Definitely a boy then" said Howard beaming in delight

"That's correct, do you have other children?

"Yes we have two girls so having a boy is fantastic" replied Bernadette

"Well congratulations, I will make you an appointment for your 20 week scan, in the meantime if you have any problems please call me" said the doctor printing out a letter of confirmation for their next appointment

"Thank you" said Bernadette

They decided to talk about names in the car on the way home

"Howie have you got any names you would like?

"Yes I was thinking about David, Caleb and Lewis, what about you?

"Well I want you to choose as I chose Rebecca, I like the sound of David Wolowitz so maybe we could go with that"

"Really? If you are sure"

"Yes" said Bernie,

"Thank you" said Howard patting her little bump

Meanwhile on the same day, Penny and Raj's new store was almost ready, the decorators had been in and that was finished, they had informed all of their clients that they would be moving to a new location and also announced the news on the website, they had now closed the two stores for business while they got the new store ready, Penny had also managed to get Leonard, Sheldon and Amy to help as well

The new store had a full and functioning kitchen and dining area with a small oven, microwave, kettle, toaster and fridge. Penny had gone out to get several tables and chairs for people to eat their meals at and also provided a couple of settees and the basement had been decorated and they were using it for extra storage, now that they were on the last day of finishing things up, Penny was feeling satisfied that everything was in place

"What do you think Penny is everything ok? Asked Natasha once they were finished and only Penny, Raj, Kelly, George and Alex were left in the store

"Yes I believe so, I still can't believe this is happening, our own store!

"Well believe it Penny, we have worked hard for this and we can also thank the success of the Penny Blossom sales in paying for this" said Raj

"Oh I agree, now I have already given the other staff their bonus for working hard this work and here are yours" said Penny handing them all envelopes

"A $1000 just to move a few things over, are you sure sis? Asked Natasha

"Of course, you have all worked hard and we couldn't have done it without you all" said Penny

"Also Howard just text me he wants us all to go over tonight, I suspect it something to do with their scan they went for today" said Raj

"Ok, we will be opening at 930am tomorrow so as I told the others please be here for 830am so everybody can be ready, going by the website forum I am expecting us to be very busy, I will be working all day and Raj will help out as well" said Penny

Later that evening everybody had gone to Howard and Bernadette's house, they had ordered Pizza for everybody and the kids were busy playing in the garden together and the adults were squashed together in the small lounge, Amy was sitting on Sheldon's lap as was Penny on Leonard's

"We just wanted to let you know that we are having a boy" said Howard

"Yes and we are calling him David" supplied Bernadette

"Just like you wanted Howard" said Raj clapping him on the back

"Congratulations" said Amy and Sheldon together

"Yes well I would have been happy with another girl but I am delighted anyway" replied Howard who was beaming from ear to ear

"Mom" said Rose coming into the lounge

"Yes Rose? Asked Bernadette

"Can we have swimming pool in our garden like they all have? Asked Rose pointing to everybody around the room

"Well not really, the garden isn't big enough, maybe soon though" replied Bernadette

"Why soon? Asked Penny

"Oh because we only have three bedrooms and we will need a bigger house now that we are having a boy, I grew up sharing and I want our kids to have their own space"

"Have you been looking at anywhere? Asked Amy

"Yes we were looking on the internet before you all came, we are both earning good money now and can afford something bigger like you and Penny have" said Bernadette

"We don't want to go too far though seeing as my mother lives in the same road as us and she helps out a lot with babysitting" said Howard

"Penny I guess you are all ready for the big opening tomorrow" asked Bernadette

"Yes we are more than ready and I am so excited"

"Mommy" asked Archie

"Yes sweetie"

"Can I come to work with you soon?

"Maybe one day"

"Daddy took me to his work" replied Archie

"I know but mommy's shop is very busy"

"Penny I can bring him in one day if you like, probably not this week though seeing as you going to be swamped" said Leonard

"Perhaps, I don't think he realises how bored he would be"

"Daddy" called Marie running in from the garden

"Yes Marie?

"Richard fell over, lots of blood" said Marie running back out

"Oh dear, I will go" said Amy knowing that Sheldon didn't like that sort of thing

"Yes please do and if you bring him in here please don't let me see" said Sheldon

"Amy there is a first aid kit in the kitchen, actually let me come with you" said Bernadette following her out

"Sheldon your such a baby, how did you manage to stay in the delivery room and theatre when Amy had Marie and Richard? Asked Raj

"I didn't have a choice, but now I do and Amy understands" replied Sheldon

Amy was in the garden with Richard, Marie was exaggerating about their being lots of bloody, Richard had scraped his knee and there was a tiny trickle

"Hey baby, are you ok?

"Yes mommy, hurts though"

"I bet it does, come to the kitchen with me and we can clean it up"

"Fell of the slide mommy"

"Oh dear naughty slide" replied Amy as she sat Richard down onto the side and used some antiseptic wipes and soon cleaned away the mess, she put a little plaster over the cut and carried him into the lounge and sat down with him, Sheldon had vacated the chair on spotting them

"Look daddy" said Richard showing his leg to him

"Yes I can see, does it hurt?

"Not anymore, mommy fixed it"

"That's because Mommy is special like that" said Sheldon

"I go back and play now?

"Yes if you are very careful" said Amy as he ran back out into the garden

The next day Penny and Raj arrived at the store together and before everybody else, they wanted everything to be ready and even though there was nothing else to do, Penny still went around both floors to check things over, the rest of the staff arrived shortly afterwards and after a short good luck meeting everybody went to their respective areas, by 9am Penny could see that there was people already queuing up outside ready to come in and to celebrate the first day of opening she and Raj had decided to have a 20% off everything sale

"Do you think we should open now even before time? Asked Penny to Raj

"It's up to you but we did say 930am, I say keep them waiting and just make the most of it being quiet because we will be very busy today" replied Raj

"Maybe you are right, I just want to check the website again" said Penny going back to their shared office

At 930 Penny left the office and opened the doors to the public, she welcomed everybody that came and recognised some of the more regular customers, she had several appointments booked already for that day and had to ask Natasha and Alex to take the ones she couldn't do, by the end of the day at closing time everybody look exhausted but Penny and Raj were pleased with the days trading, they had several new clients and Penny called a short meeting in the staff room

"Thanks everybody that was a bit mad today, I will be here working all week as I can see that the first week will be busy, we will be back open at the normal time of 9am tomorrow, you can all go now" smiled Penny

Penny locked up the store for the day and made her way home, she found Leonard in the kitchen cooking for them

"Wow you hardly ever cook, what's this in aid of?

"Well I knew you would have a busy day and I wanted you to come home and relax, the kids are next door with Amy and Sheldon so we have the place to ourselves" replied Leonard

"What are you cooking anyway? It smells delicious" 

"Oh just a roast dinner" replied Leonard

"You are a sweetie" said Penny walking up to him and hugging him and kissing him

"Come to the lounge for a few minutes so you can relax" said Leonard

"Sure" Penny followed him to the lounge and sat down on the sofa with him, Leonard pulled her into his arms and kissed her again, she responded with much passion until the smoke alarm went off

"Shit, some much for a stress free evening that I am supposed to be giving you" said Leonard rushing to the kitchen

"Did anything get burnt" asked Penny following him

"No its just smoke from the pans boiling, if you want to freshen up, dinner will be ready in about 10 minutes" said Leonard

At Natasha and Alex's apartment they had just arrived home with George and saw that their neighbour at 4b was moving out, this led George to make a suggestion

"You know if I could move into 4B then you and I can have more time together" said George to Natasha

"Well that would be nice, but are you not happy at Sheldon's? Asked Natasha

"Of course I love it there but it's not mine"

"How serious are you two about each other? Asked Alex suddenly

"How do you mean? Asked Natasha as George looked at Alex curiously

"Look tell me to poke my nose out but Nat you and George get on so well and you are a million times happier than when you were with that idiot Mark, maybe I could move over to 4B and you two live here" said Alex

"Alex I don't want you to feel I am pushing you out, this was my suggestion that we live together"

"I know and it has been great but I will poke my nose in again and suggest that you two are clearly in love and it would make sense for you to have your own space" said Alex

Natasha looked at George and decided to risk asking him what Alex just said

"Do you love me?

"Yes, I know we have only been going out for 7 months but I believe when you know something is right then you should go with it" replied George

"Wow, you know I love you too" replied Natasha kissing him

"Well I do now" said George

"So do you want to move in?

"Yes of course, Alex you are a star to think of this" said George hugging her as well and gesturing for Natasha to join in

"Well I have my uses, let me go and find the landlord and see if I can move" replied Alex leaving the apartment, she returned 15 minutes later looking very happy

"Well? Asked Natasha

"He said that I can move in whenever I like, I signed a tenancy agreement and I have the keys, he will need to see you though George to get your name on this one, he will be up shortly" replied Alex

"Oh great thanks, I just need to tell Sheldon and Amy now"

"Maybe we can go together and tell Leonard and Penny" said Natasha

"Oh yes" replied George as there was a knock at the door, it was the landlord who after speaking with George agreed that he could move in and he signed the tenancy agreement

"Come on lets go tell them and you as well Alex" said Natasha

"Me? Why do you want me there?

"It was your idea!" said Natasha

Natasha text Penny on the way and George text Sheldon to ask him to go to Penny's house

"Hey what's going on? Asked Penny when she saw everybody outside, Barbara was still next door minding the kids

"George and I have some news" replied Natasha

"Ok, come in then, Leonard and I were just having dinner but we can eat that later" said Penny standing aside to let them in

"Ok, George and I are going to live together in 4a and Alex is moving over to 4b" said Natasha

"Oh congratulations, when was this decided? Asked Penny

"Oh about 10 minutes ago" said Natasha

"Sheldon I hope you don't mind that I am moving out but Nat and I are serious about each other"

"Why would I mind, I can see you are both happy and that's what matters" replied Sheldon giving him a hug and nodding at Natasha

"Are you ok with this Alex? Asked Amy

"Yes it was my suggestion"

"She made us see what we didn't" replied Natasha

"Well I think congratulations are in order then" said Penny going to her fridge and taking a bottle of champagne out and pouring it into several glasses

"When are you moving out George? Asked Sheldon

"Probably the weekend, when I have more time and once Alex has moved her things over"

"I will make a start on that tonight and tomorrow as I am not working" replied Alex

"Well here's to new beginnings" said Penny raising a toast to them

"To new beginnings" chorused the group

_**Next chapter up soon**_


	35. Chapter 35

After the impromptu get together, Alex, Natasha and George returned back to the apartment but they went into 4B first to see what sort of condition it was in

"Oh its quite nice in here, different to how Penny had it and Alex as you bought your own sofa, armchairs and other bits of furniture with you, then I think you should have them over here" said Natasha

"Are you sure? What are you going to have?

"Well the sofa that has been left here of course and plus we all got bonuses didn't we, so we can buy new furniture with that" replied Natasha

"Actually I left all my furniture in storage back in Texas so I can arrange for that to come over as well, it might take a few weeks till I can take time off though" said George

"Are you going to drive back from there? Asked Natasha

"Yes I will fly but I can rent a van and just return it to the hire place here and it might take a few days to return if I am driving back though" replied George

"Alright first of all though, let's just swap the sofa and armchairs around and then I can bring all my other stuff over during the next few days" said Alex

The trio set about moving everything about and by the time they had finished it was late enough for them to go to bed and by the following weekend George had bought over his very few things and had arranged time off with Penny for the following week to go to Texas and bring his stuff back, Penny had asked Alex to work on the men's section as cover while he was away

Over the next couple of weeks Bernadette and Howard searched for their new property and had just left one on Paloma Street and they had both fallen in love with it

"Howie I think we should get it, it's already reduced because it needs a little bit of work and it has a pool"

"I agree, come on lets ring and make a bid" replied Howard, he phoned the realtor who accepted the bid and they were told that because the owners had already moved out that they could move in whenever they wanted

"Right because you are pregnant, you will be doing none of the moving, I will ask if our friends to help us" said Howard once they were back home

"I can move a few things surely Howard, I am only 4 months gone after all"

"Sorry but I am putting my foot down on this one and we can tell everybody tonight at the monthly vintage video game and Chinese night" replied Howard

Later on that day everybody was gathered at Sheldon and Amy's house when Bernadette and Howard told them all they were moving

"It's only a couple of miles away but I have already told Bernie she is not doing anything to help, so I was hoping you could all help? Asked Howard

"Yes sure, when are you planning on moving? Asked Amy

"Well we can move in whenever we like, so we spent some time this afternoon packing things up and we can use our cars to move over all the smaller things and also we would like to hold a housewarming party next Saturday and I know that's the day after Corey's 1st birthday, Amy and Sheldon's anniversary and our Wedding anniversary but I thought we could combine everything in one" said Howard

"Yeah that works for us" said Penny after a look with Leonard

"Us too" said Amy

"So what's the house like? Asked Sheldon

"Oh its fantastic, it has 4 bedrooms and a lounge like this one with an open plan kitchen diner and a pool house although its smaller than the one you have but we are very happy with it, you will be able to see it soon anyway" said Bernadette

"Have you told Rose yet? Asked Penny

"Yes she is very excited, we took her over before we came here so she thinks its all for her benefit" said Bernadette

"Well she was the instigator after all" replied Howard

"How are you two getting on living together" asked Bernadette talking to Natasha and George

"Oh its fantastic, George has set up the spare bedroom as a game room and its fun living together" replied Natasha giving George a little kiss

There was then a knock at the door which Amy went to and found that it was Carol from the Pasadena Humane Society

"Hi Mrs Cooper sorry to stop by unannounced but would you be willing to take in a puppy for a few days until we can adopt him out?

"Yes of course, what sort of puppy is it? Asked Amy

"It's a 7 month old male German Shepherd we found him wandering the streets on his own and he has no microchip and we know you have a German Shepherd and that breed typically tend to get on" said Carol

"Ok sure, bring him through"

"Sure let me just get him from the van" said Carol, Amy called Sheldon to the door and quickly explained what was going on

"I suggest just putting Cassie and Daisy in the kitchen for now out of the way of everybody so that it's not too overwhelming for the dogs to meet with everybody here" said Amy

"Sure" replied Sheldon calling Daisy and Cassie from the living room and walking them to the kitchen

Carol came back with the puppy and it reminded Amy of when she first saw Daisy tied up as he was quite big for 7 months, he greeted Amy very happily

"Oh he is a sweetie, have you given him a name yet?

"Yes we called him Duke, I don't know if the new owners will keep that name but we have vaccinated and micro chipped him"

"Ok sure, come through and we can introduce him to my dogs" replied Amy as she took Carol through to the kitchen where Sheldon was waiting and also feeding dog treats to the other two to distract them

"Sheldon you remember Carol, this is Duke" said Amy indicating the puppy

"Yes hi" replied Sheldon as Daisy spotted Duke and circled him sniffing him and then deciding that he was not a danger immediately set about playing with him, Cassie joined in as well

"I seem to think that has gone very well, we have brought a supply of puppy food for a few days as well" said Carol a few minutes later and disappearing out of the house and returning back with the food several minutes later

"Well we are happy to keep him until he is adopted out" said Amy

"Thank you I better be off now, bye" said Carol as Amy walked her to the door and went into the living room with Duke, he was very excited to see everybody and was running around the room yapping at everybody, the kids were very happy as well

"How long have you got him for Amy? Asked Penny

"Until he gets adopted but I think just judging by the last few minutes that it wont be long before he is and it wont be very far either" replied Amy looking at Marie and Archie who were rolling around the floor with the three dogs

"You want to keep him? Amy Daisy is already big for a German Shepherd and usually the boys are even bigger when they are fully grown" said Sheldon

"Yes but we have so much space to fill, I am not saying for definite we will keep him but you know it's a definite maybe on my part" replied Amy

"Right well lets think about it and see how it goes first before we make a decision" said Sheldon as Amy sat down next to him and whispered something in his ear that made him blush

"What did you say to him Amy? Asked Penny

"Oh just a little something I will do for him" replied Amy looking at Sheldon and realising that she had turned him on

"Right, I wish I had never asked now!" said Penny as she noticed Sheldon looking uncomfortable

"Ok boys seeing as we have now eaten, lets go to the game room" said Sheldon suddenly jumping up and leaving the room

After everybody had gone for the evening, Sheldon and Amy tidied up and were in the lounge relaxing watching the three dogs who had tired themselves out and were now sleeping

"So Amy this thing you want us to do, you want to share? Asked Sheldon

"Sure but not now, I just want to sit here with you and relax" replied Amy teasing him, Sheldon responded by kissing her and gently biting her lip, then moving Amy so that she was laying down he lay on top of her and tickled her until she was laughing and she made him stop by reaching into his trousers for his arousal and pumping it

"Oh Amy" came from Sheldon as he rolled his eyes in his head and kissed her again, Amy removed her hand from his erection and put her arms around his neck as they started to grind against each other, as Amy was wearing a skirt, he was able to tease her clit using his fingers, Amy continued to squirm underneath him and made a suggestion

"You know seeing as we are already hot, come with me" said Amy as Sheldon rolled off her and stood up

"Where are we going" asked Sheldon as he helped Amy up and then kissed her again

"To the sauna room" said Amy taking him out there

"I see what you mean about us already being hot then" said Sheldon a few minutes later as they made out in the Sauna room

"I don't know why we have never done it in here before" replied Amy as Sheldon removed all of her clothing and was exploring her body

"Well I think we should make it a regular occurrence and we can have a quick dip to cool off afterwards" said Sheldon as he sat on top of Amy and teased his erection against her wetness

"Just keeping doing that" moaned Amy as she enjoyed the sensation, Sheldon then removed himself from Amy and picked her up and got into the hot tub with her, they quickly resumed kissing and Sheldon entered her, thrusting into her going deeper every time, Amy was panting and moaning in lust as she orgasmed a few minutes later and biting Sheldon's neck, he came shortly afterwards and they cuddled in the hot tub for a few minutes getting their breath back

"I think we will need to have a cool shower to cool down after that" said Amy

"I agree, come on lets go inside" replied Sheldon as he helped her out and wrapped a towel around Amy and them himself and collecting their clothes, they made their way back inside the house and went up to their room, Amy went into the en-suite to turn the shower on and as she took her towel off, Sheldon could only stare at her body in wonder, he was already becoming aroused again

"You know Sheldon as our anniversary is Friday we can take the day off to spend together and my mom can have the kids" said Amy as she stepped into the shower

"Sure that's a great idea but less talk" replied Sheldon leaning down to kiss her and caress her breasts and continue from where they left off in the pool

The next day various members of the group went over to Howard and Bernadette's house to help move everything and after several car trips with all the small things and one large van load, everything had been moved in by Sunday afternoon and after Howard and Bernadette had spent a few days organising where everything should go they were soon ready for their housewarming party

On the day of Sheldon and Amy's anniversary they went to the café where they first met for a celebratory lunch for the two of them, they always saved their wedding anniversary to invite their friends to

"Here is to 8 happy years together" said Amy raising her cup of tea to him

"Yes, even if I did spend the first 3 avoiding physical contact" replied Sheldon

"Well I think it is safe to say you have more than made up for it" said Amy

"That is something I will continue to do" replied Sheldon leaning over to kiss her

"Oh I do love you" said Amy once the kiss had finished

"And I you, come on lets go back and not just because I want to ravish you, we need to make a decision about Duke" said Sheldon leading her out of the café and once they were back at home they sat down to talk in the lounge

"Well I would like to keep him he has got on so well with Daisy and Cassie and even when Penny brought Jack and Jess over, he got on with them as well"

"Yes I think I agree"

"You only think? I wonder what I could do to persuade you more" replied Amy gently kissing him and stroking his face, Sheldon made a strange whimpering noise and kissed her back

"You are a vixen, Amy, I definitely agree"

"Good, glad we have that sorted, now I shall just go and ring Carol to confirm" said Amy standing up

"Excuse me a moment" said Sheldon

"Yes?

"You can't just turn me on and get up and leave" replied Sheldon looking slightly put out

"Oh I can" replied Amy leaning down and kissing him again whilst cupping his erection

"Gaaah" came from Sheldon as Amy removed herself from him, she returned a few minutes later and found Sheldon watching a Dr Who DVD

"Well it's now official we can keep Duke and I think they are ready for a walk, are you coming or watching that? Asked Amy

"Sure why not" replied Sheldon

Sheldon and Amy spent the rest of the enjoying being on their own before Barbara returned with the kids in the evening, she had also been invited to the Wolowitz triple reason party and the kids gave Sheldon and Amy a little present of their own

"Mommy, Daddy we have this for you" said Marie handing her a large packet

"Oh thanks Marie" said Amy as she and Sheldon opened the packet and found a large photo of Marie and Richard with the three dogs

"I made them sit for it" said Barbara

"Oh its lovely thank you" said Amy kissing Marie and Richard

"Yes I agree" said Sheldon

"Daddy? Said Marie

"Yes Marie?

"Are we going to the party?

"Yes of course"

"Good" replied Marie climbing onto Sheldon's lap and cuddling him, Richard then did the same

"Now this I need to get a picture of" said Amy getting her phone and taking the picture

"Mommy let me see" said Marie

"I will use it as my screensaver for three of my favourite people" said Amy showing her

"Mommy can we go in the pool? Asked Marie

"Yes sure, I will be out in a minute" replied Amy

"Amy I will take them, come on kids" said Barbara

"I hope I am your number one Amy" said Sheldon once they were alone

"You will always be number one" replied Amy smiling at him as Sheldon stood up and they had a little kiss and cuddle

The next day everybody arrived at the Wolowitz's house and were impressed that most of the decorating had been done already

"Ok everybody we have a buffet selection of food, we have been working hard all week trying to get this place sorted but we said we would hold a joint party and we didn't want to let people down" said Bernadette opening some bottles of champagne and pouring some into glasses for everybody

"By the way before we all start, I know we all usually spend Christmas together but this year, Kelly the kids and I are going to India for three weeks, my parents haven't seen Anita yet and it will be the perfect opportunity to do so" said Raj

"Wow, that is organised, Sheldon and I haven't even talked about it yet! Said Amy

"Talking of Christmas, even though it is 7 months away, Penny and I were thinking of holding it at our house this year, Sheldon and Amy are always organising things so we would like to do it and invite anybody who wants to come" said Leonard

"That works" said Amy as Bernadette passed glasses round to everybody

"Ok we are here today to celebrate Corey turning one, Amy and Sheldon's anniversary and Howard and I celebrating 7 years of marriage and our new house" said Bernadette raising her non alcoholic glass of wine to everybody

"Also thanks to you all for helping us move, it was appreciated" continued Howard

_**Next chapter up in a few days**_


	36. Chapter 36

_**Two months later**_

It was the day of Richard's 2nd birthday and Amy had gone to work but was only planning on working until lunchtime so that she could organise the party that she and Sheldon were holding for him and she had just finished a Skype call from Professor McDonald at Harvard inviting her to give a series of lectures for the new term in September, she had gone back to working on her brain specimens when she was disturbed by a knock at the door and a familiar voice

"Hello Amy" said Faisal

"Oh my goodness, Faisal what are you doing here? Said Amy jumping from her seat and giving him a hug

"Well as you declined my invitation to come to Saudi for a summer holiday, I thought I would come to you and meet your family, plus I have some business to attend to here in LA as well" replied Faisal

"You are looking great by the way"

"Thanks so are you, am I going to meet your husband? I understand he works here"

"Yes of course, let me just go and get him, please take a seat, don't mind the brains everywhere" replied Amy smiling at him

Amy left the neuroscience building and made her way to Sheldon's office, he was in there but he had Leonard for company

"Hi Leonard, Sheldon" said Amy

"Amy are you ok? Asked Sheldon surprised to see her

"Yes but I suspect you might not be when I tell you who I have in my lab at the moment" said Amy

"Who? Asked Sheldon

"Ah well, Faisal has just turned up unexpectedly and he would like to meet you"

"That's a shame because the feeling is not mutual" replied Sheldon turning back to his whiteboard

"Sheldon! What is the matter with you" shouted Amy furious at his attitude

"Amy you seem to have forgotten about what happened the last time his name was mentioned"

"No I haven't and I really thought that you were over the petty jealousy thing, now are you going to come or spend the night somewhere else tonight and ruin Richards birthday? Asked Amy folding her arms and glaring at him

"Sheldon I think you should just go and meet him, he is no threat to you, in fact I would like to meet him as well Amy if that's ok" said Leonard trying to make things better

"Yes of course, Sheldon I am going now, if you want to come then come" said Amy turning around and walking out with Leonard in tow, she had just left the building when she heard footsteps behind her, looking round she saw it was Sheldon

"Amy I am sorry, you are right I shouldn't be jealous" said Sheldon giving her a quick peck on the cheek

"Good, glad we got that out of the way" replied Amy as she entered the Neuroscience building and down to her lab

"Faisal, this is my Husband Dr Sheldon Cooper and his best friend Dr Leonard Hoftstadter" said Amy introducing them

"Yes hello, I have heard lots about your work Sheldon and yourself Leonard" said Faisal shaking the hand that Leonard held out

"Its Dr Cooper thank you very much" replied Sheldon snappily and not shaking his hand

"Very sorry, Dr Cooper" said Faisal wondering why Sheldon was being off with him

"So Faisal how long are you in town for? Asked Amy

"Well I arrived yesterday and I plan to leave by Friday, would you all like to go for lunch today? I am staying at the four seasons" replied Faisal

"Oh sorry today is not good, it's our sons 2nd birthday and I am leaving at lunchtime to organise a party, perhaps you would like to come along? Asked Amy

"Amy! What are you doing? Exclaimed Sheldon

"Inviting a friend to our sons birthday party"

"Amy I would be delighted to attend, I shall bring one of my wives with me as well, I already have your address, what time would you like me to attend?

"Oh around 5pm if that's good for you? Asked Amy

"That's perfect, I shall see you then and I can talk more with your husband and friends" said Faisal as Amy came close to him and hugged him goodbye, Amy turned around and she could see that Sheldon was seething, Leonard made his excuses and quickly left

"Amy I am speechless with you" was all Sheldon could say

"Sheldon I have one question and I want you to answer truthfully, can you do that?

"Yes and I think I know what it is but I will let you ask" replied Sheldon

"Do you trust me?

"Yes but I am unhappy about you inviting this man to our house, I don't understand why you want him there"

"Because he is an old friend and we have a common interest in Neuroscience, its good to talk to people who have similar work fields" replied Amy

"You can always talk to me"

"Presumably you are coming to our sons party tonight? Asked Amy packing her things and tidying up

"Of course I am, what makes you think I am not?

"Because of the way you are behaving, change the attitude Sheldon, Faisal is of no threat to you" replied Amy picking up her phone and car keys and walking towards the door of the lab

"I think I will come home with you then and help you with the party" said Sheldon as he stopped her from leaving and shut the door then locking it

"What are you doing?

"Nothing just standing here with my beautiful wife and hoping that you forgive me again for my jealousy" replied Sheldon

"I forgive you but you need to trust me also, I have no romantic interest in Faisal, only you Sheldon" said Amy leaning against the side of the work bench

"Well I will make sure you continue to be romantically interested in me forever" said Sheldon as he came closer to Amy and pressing up against her, he kissed her for a very long time

"You know I only have eyes for you Sheldon" said Amy once they had finished kissing and were having an intense bout of eye coitus, then Sheldon moved Amy so she was back sitting on her work stool and kissed her again

"Come on lets go because if we carry on in here, Richard will end up without a party" said Sheldon

"I hope that reassures you Sheldon and you can be pleasant to Faisal later" said Amy as they left the lab and Sheldon walked Amy to the car park

"I will try, I will meet you back at home as I have to pick up my laptop and finish a few things off" said Sheldon

"Also I have been invited to Harvard to give some lectures and a welcome speech to the new students in September if you want to join me? Asked Amy

"Oh sure, thanks for asking me, when did you find that out?

"Not long ago, I had just finished a skype call from Professor McDonald when Faisal arrived

"Ok, see you at home Amy" said Sheldon, he went back to his office, stopping at Leonard lab on the way

"Hey you ok? Asked Leonard

"Not particularly, I don't know if Amy is trying to test me but I don't like that man Leonard

"Yes I could see that, look you will just have to get on with it, Amy has never given you a reason to doubt her, so just deal with it"

Amy pulled into the driveway as Penny turned up, Penny had already had a call from Leonard regarding Faisal and Penny wanted to know from Amy what was going on

"Hey Ames, how are you?

"Good, am just organising Richards's party, do you want to help me with these bags? Asked Amy indicating the many shopping bags in the boot of the car

"Sure, so listen Leonard called me earlier"

"Yes I bet he did and I wonder what the topic of conversation was" replied Amy

"He was just concerned, apparently Sheldon had steam coming out of his ears" said Penny

"You could say that but I don't know why, Faisal is a very old friend and I am not about to drop people out of my life just on Sheldon's say so" said Amy as they took the bags into the house, they were greeted enthusiastically by the dogs

"And you invited him here to the party as well?

"Yes" replied Amy as she started to unpack all the shopping

"Why?

"Because he is only here for a few days and it will be nice to catch up, his wife is coming as well"

"Well I hope you know what you are doing" said Penny

"What does that mean? said Amy looking curiously at her

"Sheldon already hates the man but you seem to be ignoring that"

"Sheldon needs to see that there is nothing to be jealous of, that is what I am trying to achieve here" replied Amy

"Mommy" said Richard on seeing Amy

"Hey baby, how are you? Said Amy picking him up and kissing him, he then stretched his arms out to Penny for her to hold him which she did

"We have party mommy?

"Yes later on"

"Nanny in pool" replied Richard

"Probably with Corey" said Penny walking out to the pool house with him

Sheldon returned home shortly after and helped Amy to set up, Penny had gone to collect Archie and Marie from nursery, Rose also came with them after refusing to go home with her childminder and Bernadette had agreed she could go to Amy's house

By 5pm everything was ready, Sheldon was cooking food on the BBQ when Howard and Bernadette showed up with Rebecca, Bernadette only had 6 weeks to go now and was looking enormous and had given up work, Alex turned up shortly afterwards and the party was underway with the children playing in the pool and enjoying themselves, Natasha and George were finishing early at the store to join in the fun and arrived at the same time that Faisal arrived, George still had a key for the house so asked him to wait while he fetched Amy

"Amy, Faisal is here" said George

"Where?

"By the front door" replied George looking at Sheldon who had tensed at the sound of Faisals name, Amy went to the door whilst George spoke to Sheldon

"Faisal hello how are you doing" said Amy letting him into the house

"Very well, Amy I would like you to meet my first wife Ariana" said Faisal introducing a glamorous looking woman beside him

"Hi" said Amy shaking her hand "Please come through and you can meet my family and friends" Amy took them through the house and to the garden where everybody was, Sheldon was the first person she saw

"Sheldon you remember Faisal, this is his wife Ariana" said Amy

"Yes I remember" replied Sheldon nodding at the two of them and turning back to the BBQ

"This is his brother George and his partner Natasha" carried on Amy with introducing them and ignoring Sheldon's rudeness

"Nice to meet you" said Faisal as Amy called Marie and Richard out of the pool

"Now kids, I would like you to meet a very special friend of mommy's, this is Faisal, Faisal, this is Marie and the birthday boy Richard"

"Hello" said Marie smiling at him and looking at his wife "You are like pretty fairy" said Marie to her

"Thank you that's very sweet" said Ariana, Amy took them round the rest of the people in the house and found that Faisal was getting on with everybody apart from Sheldon who was still ignoring him, Marie and Archie were sitting next to Faisal asking him lots of questions which he found amusing and answered them all, Faisal spotted Sheldon going into the house and excused himself to follow

Sheldon had gone into the kitchen to get some kitchen paper when he heard movement behind him, turning round he saw that it was Faisal

"Dr Cooper, I do believe we have a problem"

"What makes you think that?

"Well in the email that Amy sent to me rejecting my invitation to Saudi she mentioned that you were not happy about it, would you like to explain why?

"Not particularly, now if you excuse me I food to finish off"

"Oh no I think we will talk more, Amy loves you and I have no interest in her, I admire her work and her intelligence and that is why I fund her lab because Neuroscience interests me, I have my own lab back home and I admire people who take up a skill like that" said Faisal taking a seat the dining table as Sheldon stood staring at him

"I know she loves me but it doesn't mean I have to like you"

"I'm not asking you to but if you want to stay married to Amy then you need to trust her"

"I don't need a lecture from you thank you" replied Sheldon storming out into the garden and going back to the BBQ, Amy had seen him come out then she noticed Faisal as well and realised things had probably not gone well and decided to lighten the mood a little

"Penny do you want to help me light the cake for Richard" said Amy

"Sure"

"Mom can you bring Richard out of the pool please" said Amy going into the kitchen, she lit the cake and then called for everybody to get together and sang happy birthday to Richard and he blew the candles out, by now everybody was eating the food that Sheldon had cooked. Amy sat down on one of the benches in the garden with Faisal and Ariana opposite her and they were chatting about her work and her forthcoming lectures at Harvard

Sheldon was sitting in the pool house with George, Natasha and Leonard when Penny got out of the pool with Archie

"Sheldon are you not going to join Amy with Faisal? Asked Penny

"No it looks like she is perfectly fine without me"

"I think she would like it if you joined her, you can see they are just talking, his wife is stunning looking though"

"What's that got to do with anything?

"Nothing I was just mentioning it" said Penny as Sheldon scraped the chair back noisily and went over to join Amy

"Sheldon, glad you could join us, we were just swapping stories about Harvard, that's where I first met Faisal as we were in the same grad year"

"Very nice" replied Sheldon for lack of anything else to say

"What do you do Sheldon? Asked Ariana

"I am a theoretical physicist at Caltech" replied Sheldon looking anywhere but at Faisal

"Your children are a credit to you, perhaps if you come to visit Saudi one day you could meet ours" said Faisal

"Maybe, how many do you have? Said Sheldon looking at Faisal this time with new interest

"My wife and I have 4 together but I also have several others with my three other wives"

"Oh I see" replied Sheldon trying not to looked shocked

"I can see your surprise but in the Middle East I am allowed to have many wives, I am limiting myself to four though and Ariana is my number one and I rotate around them all when I am home" said Faisal

"If you do come to Saudi you can stay with us in our palace" said Ariana

"Thank you very much, we will think about it" replied Amy smiling at them

"Thank you for the invitation today but we must get going as we have a meeting tonight at 8pm" said Faisal

"Oh no problems glad you could come" said Amy hugging him and his wife, Sheldon did the same much to Amy's delight

Faisal said goodbye to everybody and Amy saw them out, she came back to the garden to find Sheldon still at the bench trying to control his laughing, he also had Leonard and Penny with him looking at him curiously

"So Sheldon does that help with your problem?

"Yes and I am sorry I doubted you"

"Amy did you know about all the wives and kids? Asked Penny

"Of course, I have always known which is why there was no reason for the jealousy issues, isn't his wife stunning though"

"Yes what does she do though? Asked Penny

"Before she met Faisal she was a model but not anymore"

"I think this calls for a few drinks, Amy come with me a moment" said Sheldon going to the kitchen and returning with a bottle of champagne and downing a glass in one and repeating

"Sheldon what are you doing?

"Celebrating our son's birthday and having my very lovely wife by my side" replied Sheldon looking at Amy who was leaning against the sink looking at him

"I think somebody is also relieved about Faisal" said Amy

"You got that right" said Sheldon coming closer to her and kissing her passionately

"Come on lets get back outside before people wonder where we are" said Amy

"No, I want to stay here with you" replied Sheldon refusing to let her go and kissing her again, Amy managed to extricate herself from him and led him outside to the hot tub which had just been vacated, she checked that Marie and Richard were ok and got in with Sheldon and cuddled up to him

"When everybody has gone then we can do more of what we just did in the kitchen but it's rude to ignore them all when we have invited them here" said Amy

"You might be right but all I want to do is never let you go" replied Sheldon kissing her again, they were interrupted by Marie standing beside the tub with Archie by her side

"Daddy, what are you doing to mommy?

"Oh we are just playing" said Sheldon in a slight slur and moving away from Amy for a moment

"Like I play with Archie sometimes?

"How do you mean? asked Amy

"We play together in the Wendy house"

"Yes that is correct" said Amy

"Daddy can I get in with Archie?

"No why don't you go back in the pool with Archie, George can you take them please" called Sheldon to his brother who was relaxing with Natasha

"Its ok Sheldon I will take them" said Penny taking their hands and leading them into the pool

"My mom will have the kids Friday night and we can have date night right here if you like" said Amy

"I like that very much" replied Sheldon moving Amy closer to him and kissing her again

"Also if you are coming to Harvard with me then I think we need to sort something out with the kids, we will be gone for three days" said Amy

"Amy less talk" replied Sheldon swooping back in for another kiss

"You two need to get a room" said Howard from the pool

"Oh we will tonight" replied Amy winking at him

_**Next chapter up soon**_


	37. Chapter 37

_**6 weeks later**_

It was now the third week of September, it was Sunday morning and Amy and Sheldon were talking to the children at breakfast time about their plans to go away for a couple of days

"Mommy and Daddy will be back on Tuesday night but Uncle George will look after you tonight and Nanny will have you tomorrow is that ok? Asked Amy to Marie and Richard

"Yes mommy, is Tasha coming as well? Asked Marie

"And Archie" chipped in Richard

"Yes Tasha is coming and I can ask if Archie can have a sleepover" replied Amy

"Mommy where are you going? Asked Marie again

"I have to give a speech at a University in Boston"

"What kind of speech? Asked Marie

"It's just to do with my work really, I was invited there"

"Why is Daddy going then? Asked Marie again

"Because I will be there to support Amy, it's what couples do" replied Sheldon

"Daddy can I have a cuddle?" asked Mary clambering on to Sheldon's lap, then making herself comfortable on him and resting her head on his chest

"I think you already are!" replied Sheldon putting his arms around her and kissing her head

"Daddy can you call us on computer? Asked Marie

"What do you mean? asked Sheldon

"I think she means Skype them when we get to Boston, is that what you mean Marie? Asked Amy looking at Marie and getting a head nod in confirmation

Later that day they arrived at Boston airport just after 7pm, Professor McDonald picked them up and drove them to his house where Sheldon and Amy would be staying for the two nights and the next day once they were at the University, Sheldon and Amy were sitting together backstage, Amy was feeling excited but nervous, Sheldon was doing his best to ease her nerves

"Amy you love speaking to students, you will be fine and I will be sitting in the front row, so just look at me if you feel overwhelmed"

"Thank you Sheldon" replied Amy as her phone beeped with a message

"Oh Bernie's had the baby, it was due last week so I bet she is relieved" said Amy

"Yes, did they send a picture?

"No I shall ask them now but I will have to turn my phone off for the speech" said Amy looking through her prepared speech and memorizing what she had to say, she could hear other guest speakers talking and knew she only had a few minutes left to wait, Sheldon stood up with her and gave her a reassuring hug and a sweet kiss and quickly walked out to the main seating area and sat down next to Professor McDonald

Amy waited until her name was called and then entered the stage and looked at the University grad students who were taking the Neuroscience classes, she loved talking to students more than anything

"Hello to you all, first off I would like to thank Harvard and Professor McDonald for inviting me here to speak to you all, I would also like to thank my Husband Dr Sheldon Cooper for coming with me to support me for the next two days. I was in your position many years ago and I know how scary it can be starting afresh at University but I am here to tell you all that that with a bit of hard work and graft, you can achieve anything you want"

Amy continued on with her prepared speech for another 10 minutes and at the end she was given a standing ovation and asked if anybody had questions which she answered for a few more minutes before the students were asked to leave the hall, Amy made her way down the steps to where Sheldon was standing beaming at her with Professor McDonald

"Amy you were fantastic, I think you should go on speaking tours" replied Professor McDonald

"Well I don't know about that, all I know is I much prefer talking to a room full of students than I do with older experienced scientists" replied Amy

"Yes I used to feel like that but since I have got older, I find I am no longer intimidated by my peers" replied Professor McDonald

"Amy I so proud of you" said Sheldon giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek

"Ok Amy after lunch I have arranged for you to give a lecture and demonstration of your work, we currently have a monkey addiction study going on ourselves and we would like you to do something you have done before with them, you remember when you tested their baseline fears?

"Yes of course, in fact I have everything I need on my laptop to do so" replied Amy

"Excellent, Dr Cooper would you be interested in giving a talk of sorts regarding your work? I can take you to the physics department"

"Oh no thank you, its bad enough I have to do it at my own University let alone somewhere else, no offence" replied Sheldon shuddering at the thought

"None taken, I guess you would like to support Amy"

"Ok, I shall leave you two alone as I have a lecture to give, unless you want to watch?

"Oh sure, what time is it starting? Asked Amy

"In 15 minutes"

"Sure we will come with you now" replied Amy after a look with Sheldon and following him

At lunchtime Amy and Sheldon went out to the University car park to get some space from everybody and also to Skype with Bernadette and Howard who had now returned home after the birth of baby David, they found a picnic bench to sit on and Amy rang their Skype

"Hi Bernie" said Amy on seeing on her

"Hi Amy, thanks for your earlier message, how did the speech go?

"Oh it was fantastic but never mind that, congratulations to you two, how was the birth?

"Oh it was painful but I am just glad he is here now" replied Bernadette lifting the baby and showing them

"Very cute, he looks just like Howard" replied Amy

"What time are you due back tomorrow? Asked Howard

"Probably around 6" replied Amy

"You can stop by on the way home if you like to see David"

"Of course, we would be delighted to, Leonard is picking us up from the airport so we can ask him then" replied Sheldon

"Well we were going to save everybody coming over until tomorrow anyway, Rose is very excited and Rebecca too" replied Bernadette as David started whimpering "Oh he is due a feed so I better give him what he wants" said Bernadette

"Ok bye and congratulations again" said Amy signing off

"Shall we skype the kids? Asked Sheldon

"I think leave it until tonight" replied Amy shutting her laptop and leaning against Sheldon, he put his arm around her and kissed her briefly

"Seeing as we have a bit of free time, shall we talk about Christmas? Leonard and Penny are holding it this year and I would like to invite Mom, Missy and Meemaw"

"Yes I agree"

"How are you feeling about the demonstration this afternoon?

"I am looking forward to it, this is what I do best after all" replied Amy

Amy gave her demonstration to the students and later on that day back at Professor McDonald's house he had a request for Amy

"Amy would you ever consider coming here every September to talk to the students? The board of directors here originally asked me if I could persuade you to move to Boston and teach here full time but I don't think you would do that would you?

"Oh, well I didn't see that coming, I would be delighted to come every September but I am very happy at Caltech, I am honoured that people want me here full time though, maybe in the future when the kids are older" replied Amy

"Maybe in the future? Amy what happened to us always making decisions together? Exclaimed Sheldon glaring at her

"Sheldon I did say maybe and that is all it is" replied Amy giving him a little kiss

"Sorry to cause a domestic there, now dinner will be served shortly, my housemaid is cooking it now" said Professor McDonald

The next day Amy had an early morning lecture and by 12pm they were boarding the flight back to LAX and Leonard picked them up from the airport

"Hey you two, your mom had an invitation to see a friend, so I took Marie and Richard to Bernadette's house on the way here, Penny is there as well so they are not alone" said Leonard driving off after the bags were packing into the boot

"Oh good thanks, were they ok? Asked Amy

"Yes they were good as always, how was everything at Harvard?

"Oh it was fantastic, they have invited me back every September to do the same thing for the incoming students"

"You forgot to tell Leonard about them asking you to work there full time" chipped in Sheldon

"Really? What did you say to that? Asked Leonard

"I said no for now, I am very happy here"

"Well we would miss you all if you went" replied Leonard

30 minutes later they pulled up outside Bernadette and Howard's house, Marie was in the front garden with George waiting for Amy and Sheldon

"Mommy, daddy" shouted Marie running up to them

"Hello Marie, how are you doing? Asked Amy picking her up to cuddle her and putting her down again

"New baby mommy" said Marie holding her arms out for Sheldon to pick her up

"I know, I saw him on the computer yesterday, also how come my car is here? Asked Amy noticing it

"Oh that was Natasha, we guessed you would need to drive back with the kids" replied George

"Good thinking! Replied Amy as she entered the house and saw everybody there minus Raj and Kelly

"Hi Ames" said Penny passing David to her

"Oh isn't he adorable" said Amy giving the baby a little kiss on the head, then giving Bernadette and Howard hugs and then noticing a school brochure on the coffee table

"Are you sending Rose to school already? Asked Amy

"No we are thinking of which school to send her to, she will be 5 next year and starting in school in September so we need to get our applications in fast" replied Bernadette

"Will Marie be starting the same time? Asked Sheldon to Amy

"No and she wouldn't be in the same year as Rose either, she will start the following year with Archie" replied Amy

"Amy seeing as you are here, I have to ask a favour" said Penny

"Sure go ahead?

"Raj and I have to go to New York on Friday to see Sarah at Bloomingdales just to renegotiate the collections around the States, the contract for them is ending at the end of September so we need to sort that out, Leonard coming with us so would you mind having Archie and Corey?

"Of course we will be happy to, how's the collection going anyway?

"It's been very successful, we as a company were already doing great but this has made it even better" replied Penny

"You and Raj must be millionaires by now" asked Howard

"Howard! That's rude" said Bernadette

"Bernie its ok, for the record the company is doing very well financially"

"But are you millionaires yet" continued Howard and getting a clip round the head from Bernadette

"Howard you are persistent but Raj and I originally agreed a deal of 50/50 profits but we later also agreed that we would take home a lesser shared amount each month and leave the remainder in the bank for products and wages" replied Penny

"You have enough to live on though? Asked Amy this time

"Oh of course, I can take whatever I like out of the account but I don't mainly because I don't need to" replied Penny as a knock at the door came, Howard went to answer it and returned with Raj, Kelly, Chandra and Anita

"Hi, sorry we are late but we had an appointment to attend to" said Raj looking at Kelly and smirking

"What sort of appointment? Asked Penny who noticed the look

"Just the sort where you find out that you are having another baby, sorry to steal your thunder Bernie" said Kelly looking very happy

"Forget about it and congratulations, how far gone are you? Asked Bernadette giving them both hugs

"We are already 12 weeks but I have been spotting randomly throughout but the doctor confirmed at the scan today that everything is now ok" replied Kelly

"Penny I have insisted that Kelly stops work for a couple of months to rest as well, she has this funny notion that she wants to work all the time, even though I can provide for all of us" said Raj

"Raj you know I like working and its also to prove to your parents that I am not a gold digger" said Kelly

"I think they know that by now" replied Raj

"Sure that's fine, as long as you and the baby are ok that's good" replied Penny jumping into the conversation

"I think a double celebration is called for" said Howard coming back into the room with two bottles of champagne and passing everybody but Kelly a glass

"Are you two still going to India at Christmas? Asked Leonard

"No and especially as Kelly has had problems with this one, my parents are going to come here instead" replied Raj

"Did you find out the babies sex as well? Asked Bernadette

"No the baby wasn't in a good position to see but we are going for monthly scans from now on so maybe next month we will see" replied Kelly

"Mommy" said Marie coming into the room

"Yes Marie?

"Can we go home yet?

"Why? What's the matter?

"My head hurts" replied Marie sitting on Amy's lap and holding her head

"Amy I have some junior dissolvable paracetomal if you want to give her some" said Bernadette

"Thanks, Sheldon will you go and get it from the kitchen please, Bernadette needs to rest, now Marie I will give you a little fizzy drink and hopefully the headache will go" said Amy cuddling her as Sheldon came back quickly with a glass, Marie tasted some of it and made a disgusted face

"Its yucky mommy"

"I know but it will make you feel better and if you like I will buy you a special treat tomorrow if you drink it" replied Amy, Marie gulped the drink down in one go and Amy sat her down on the sofa to rest for a few minutes

"Amy if you want to go please don't feel offended, Marie looks very tired" said Bernadette

"I think we will" replied Amy getting up and saying goodbye to everybody, she strapped Marie into the car seat as Sheldon did the same for Richard and they drove home

The next morning Marie's headache had spread to a cold and she was in bed between her and Sheldon who was also complaining of feeling unwell and had been sneezing since he woke up

"Amy can you make me some chicken soup with little stars for lunch please? Asked Sheldon sniffing

"I am supposed to be working but seeing as you and Marie both appear to be unwell I will look after you both for the day although I don't remember anything about this in our wedding vows" said Amy going downstairs and making Sheldon a cup of tea and getting a cold flannel for Marie

"Mommy my nose hurts" complained Marie

"Yes it would do and you know what would make things better, if you both came downstairs and lay down on the sofas so I don't have to keep running up and down all the day" said Amy

"Amy I looked after you when you recovered from your operations, so I think you can return the favour" said Sheldon as he still lay in bed with the duvet wrapped around him

"I was joking" said Amy kissing him on the forehead and going downstairs to answer the door to Penny who was dropping Archie and Corey off

"Hey Ames"

"Hi Penny, I think it would be best if my mom looks after your two and Richard next door, Sheldon and Marie have colds and are refusing to get out of bed"

"Oh sure, is Richard ready?

"Yes I will just get him"

"Also Sheldon will probably need you to sing to him and rub vaporub on his chest, it might work for Marie as well" said Penny as she followed Amy into the lounge as she collected Richard and walked him round to Penny's house

"Hi Leonard, Sheldon is sick so not coming to work" said Amy when she saw him

"Oh good luck with that" replied Leonard

Amy returned back next door and carried Marie downstairs to the smaller sofa and put some childrens tv program on for her then went back to Sheldon who had dozed off

"Sheldon wake up" said Amy shaking his arm

"What?

"I have some vaporub if you want me to rub some on your chest?

"Thank you, Amy you are the best" replied Sheldon taking his top off as Amy started to rub the stuff on him

"How's that? Asked Amy as she continued to rub the stuff on his chest

"Its very nice and especially the way you are circling your fingers around" replied Sheldon giving Amy a familiar look which she decided to ignore

"Right good, now perhaps you can come downstairs, I can get the spare duvet and you can lay on the sofa like I asked please" said Amy trying to shift him

"Can I still have chicken soup?

"Yes of course"

"Thanks Amy" replied Sheldon giving her a hug and trying to kiss her

"Yes that's enough of that, I don't want to get what you have thank you and I will be sleeping in the spare room tonight because of that"

By the end of day Amy was exhausted from running around after Sheldon who made hourly requests for tea and more chest rubbing, Marie on spotting her father doing this, also exploited the situation, Amy did as she said and slept in the spare room and by the next day both Marie and Sheldon were feeling better enough that Amy could do some work in the office

The following weekend both Sheldon and Marie were better and Amy took care of Archie and Corey while Penny was in New York, she and Raj successfully negotiated the new contracts for the 4 stores for another year and returned home late on Sunday night

The weekend after everybody was invited to George and Natasha's apartment as it was her 30th birthday, he had ordered a selection of Pizza and Chinese food as decided to make an announcement once they were all there

"Thanks for coming everybody, as well as it being Natasha's birthday I do have a question for her" said George going down on one knee in front of Natasha and producing an open box

"Natasha I am not good with words but I love you very much, will you marry me? Asked George as everybody gasped at the sight of the ring which was a Tiffany Diamond Grace ring and then waited for Natasha's answer

There was a long silence while she looked at the ring, then back at George

"Yes" replied Natasha giving George a kiss and a hug

"By the way I did things the correct way, I Skyped your dad and asked for his approval before asking you" said George as he put the ring on Natashas finger

"So that's why you asked for his Skype then" said Penny

"Yes"

"Well I would say welcome to the family but you are already in the family" said Penny again giving her sister a hug and then George, Sheldon and Amy joined in

"Hey bestie, we are almost related now" said Amy

"We are and we will be even more so if these two have kids" said Penny laughing at the shocked expression on Natasha and Georges face as her words sunk in

_**Next chapter up soon**_


	38. Chapter 38

_**Carrying on from previous chapter**_

"So" said Penny "When do you want to get married?"

"Sorry before we start that, can you all wait a moment please" said George standing up and walking out of the apartment leaving everybody staring at him in surprise, he returned less than a minute later with Wyatt, Hannah, Mary Meemaw and Missy, the reaction to them being there was similar to George suddenly leaving, the kids were especially excited to see their extended family

"Mom, Dad what are you doing here? Asked Natasha

"Well you didn't think I was going to miss our daughters 30th birthday and an engagement did you? Asked Wyatt

"Mom? Asked Sheldon standing up as he gave Meemaw a hug

"Shelley when George told me what he was planning, I said I wanted to be here for it and obviously if we were all here for the proposal it may have aroused suspicion" said Mary to her son

"Going back to Penny's question, I don't know when we are getting married yet but maybe it will be soon, everything about this relationship has gone quickly so why not a wedding" said Natasha to the room in general

"Natasha I will say the same as I said to sweet little Amy when Sheldon married her, welcome to the family darlin" said Mary giving her a little hug

"When did you arrive? Asked Penny

"Couple of hours ago, we were hiding out in Alex's apartment" replied Hannah

"So you knew why there were coming? Asked Natasha to Alex

"Yep and I am very good at keeping secrets, although to be fair I only found out last night and because I was working I gave George my apartment key to let them in" replied Alex

"Can I make a suggestion here" said Sheldon

"Sure? Said George

"It's already crowded in here, so why don't we pack all the food up and come and celebrate this engagement at our house" replied Sheldon

"What do you think Nat? asked George

"Yes I agree" replied Natasha

15 minutes later everybody was back at Sheldon and Amy's house relaxing in the garden and the pool house

"Oh, you have another dog and you have rabbits" said Mary as she was greeted by the dogs in the garden and Marie and Archie were dragging her up to the back of the garden to see the rabbit pen

"Yes the new one is called Duke and the rabbits belong to Marie, Richard and Archie" replied Amy following them

Sheldon was the last to arrive back with several bottles of champagne and started pouring some out into glasses, he had also got a bottle of non alcoholic wine for Kelly, he took the trays of glasses out for everybody as Natasha and George spoke up

"Ok, George and I were talking on the way over, we would like to get married at Christmas here, presumably Mum and Dad you will be here and Mary?

"Yes of course" came from the three of them

"Alright, we won't hold it on the 24th as that is Sheldon and Amy's anniversary, so how about the 23rd, that gives us 3 months to organise everything" said Natasha

"Also Mom to please you we will get married in a church, but it won't be an overly religious ceremony" said George to his Mom

"You will be in church, that I am more than happy with"

"Also it goes without saying that everybody is invited to the wedding but please don't feel offended or upset if you are not in the wedding, there is so many of you all that I can't please everybody" said Natasha looking a bit stressed

"Natasha it's your wedding, you do as you like, we will all be there to support you" said Bernadette with Amy nodding for support

"Yes also I will be like 6 months pregnant by then and will look ridiculous in any sort of costume anyway" said Kelly

"Thanks" 

"Talking of who is going to be in the wedding, Sheldon will you be my best man? Asked George

"Of course and I am only sorry that we were not close enough when I got married to Amy that I couldn't choose you over Leonard, not that I regret having Leonard as my best man, he is my best friend after all" replied Sheldon giving his brother a hug and then Leonard who was looking at him in confusion

"Forget about it, we are good now that's what matters, also Leonard I would like you to be an usher if that's ok" replied George

"Sure thanks for asking" replied Leonard

"Penny would you be my maid of honour? Asked Natasha

"You bet I will" replied Penny

"Ok, for bridesmaids and page boys, I think we will go with two each, so two bridesmaids in Rose and Marie and two page boys in Archie and Richard and we will need two witnesses to sign the marriage certificate, so Amy and Alex would you do that? Asked Natasha

"Yes of course" replied Amy and Alex together

"Am still feeling kind of bad that I am leaving people out though" said Natasha

"Sugar, don't worry about it, if you like, Bernadette, Kelly and I will organise your hen party and then Raj and Howard can organise the stag night, none of us are offended, don't worry" said Missy

"Alright, now I need to think about a wedding dress" said Natasha

"Would you like one that I can have custom made for you? Asked Penny

"Oh, I hadn't thought about that, I will spend a few days going round the bridal shops first to see what I can get" replied Natasha as Marie appeared in front of her and clambered on to her lap

"Tasha" said Marie

"Yes sweetie"

"What you doing with Uncle George?

"We are getting married, would you like to get dressed up in a pretty dress?" replied Natasha

"Yes"

"Good because I would like you to walk down the aisle with me"

"What's an aisle Tasha?

"It's when I enter the church and walk towards the front to where George will be"

"Oh, are you having baby like Kelly?" asked Marie as she got off Natasha and moved on to George

"Not yet but definitely way in to the future" replied Natasha

"You know Nat, when George Skyped me he was so nervous he couldn't speak for a few minutes and just kept gulping" said Wyatt slapping George on the back

"Well I am glad that you approve of him" said Natasha

"What's not to approve and it's not like I didn't already know him from all the gatherings we have had the past few years"

"Also are we going to get to see this ring? Asked Hannah

"Oh sure" replied Natasha extending her hand out for them to admire the ring

"It's sparkly" said Marie as she ran off up the garden to her Wendy house

"It's very pretty" said Hannah

"It's also insured although I know you won't lose it" commented George

"I don't know how you could afford such a beautiful ring George, I hope you are not short of cash now? Asked Natasha

"You are worth the beauty of the ring and I am a good saver plus I am earning good money now as a Manager" replied George

"That's very sweet" commented Amy who was sitting on a sun lounger with Sheldon cuddling her

"I hope you two are not going to have another PDA in front of us" moaned Howard

"Amy is my wife and I always show affection to her, maybe you should do the same with Bernadette" replied Sheldon as he demonstrated just how much in love he was with his wife by kissing her in front of everybody

"Shelley that's enough of that" scolded Mary

"Mom, we were just kissing" said Sheldon

"I don't care, I don't want to see it in front of me, don't disrespect your mother Shelley, your not too old for me to smack you upside the head" said Mary seriously

"Sheldon its ok, we don't want to upset your mom" said Amy standing up and going inside and returning with another chair and sat down beside him, just holding his hand this time

"How long are you all staying for? Asked Sheldon to his mom

"Until Monday, Missy could only get one day off work at short notice"

"Ok well we can sort out where you are all sleeping later" said Sheldon

"Daddy" said Marie who had been in the Wendy house with Archie

"Yes Marie?

"Are Nannies and Missy staying for long time?

"No they are going back on Monday, but they will be here at Christmas for a couple of weeks" replied Sheldon

"Can I marry Archie? Asked Marie suddenly causing everybody to laugh at her suggestion

"No Marie, you can't" replied Amy

"Why?

"Because you are only three years old and I don't think you know what marry means either" said Amy

"Yes we do" chipped in Archie as he climbed on to Leonard's lap

"What does it mean then? Asked Leonard to his son although Rose answered first for all of them

"Being with them all the time"

"Me and Archie play all the time" said Marie

"Yes but that doesn't mean you need to get married, it just means you like each other as friends" said Amy

Marie and Archie looked at them confused and ran back off to the Wendy house together

"I wonder what they do in there together, Marie only has her girly toys in there from what I know" commented Amy

"Archie brings his cars and lego" said Rose as she went off to join them

"Well if we were getting closer to being related with George and Natasha getting married then I think we will be even more so if Marie and Archie hook up when they are older" said Penny to Amy

"Why are you two encouraging this? Asked Sheldon

"Oh relax, they are just kids, they don't know what they are saying" replied Amy getting back on the sun lounger with him and receiving a glare from Mary in the process

"Does anybody want anything else to drink or eat? Asked Sheldon

"No I think we demolished all that food already and if I drink anymore then we will be in even more trouble with your mom" said Amy as she whispered into Sheldon's ear

"Penny is your store open tomorrow? Asked Mary

"Yes, did you want to go?

"I think so, I will need to find a dress for the wedding" replied Mary

"I can come with you then and help you choose, what about you mum? You coming?

"Why not" replied Hannah

"Maybe all of us ladies can go and have a look then" suggested Penny

The little party ended around midnight and Sheldon decided to put Mary and Meemaw in the annexe and Missy in the attic conversion and after putting the very excited children to bed, he and Amy were now in bed themselves talking about the day's events

"Amy are you ok that you are not part of the wedding?

"Of course, I had my own special day and I was part of Penny's wedding so it's all good" replied Amy kissing him

"I do wonder whether it would be a good idea to have a joint stag and hen party" said Sheldon

"Probably not a good idea, it's a chance for both sides to let their hair down without partners getting involved, I will suggest to Bernadette that when we have our Hen party that its not on the same day as the stag party, then all the fathers and uncle can look after the children and vice versa for your stag party" replied Amy

"Your birthday is coming up in a few weeks, is there anything you would like to do? Asked Sheldon

"Not sure, maybe just spend the day here, I don't really want to make a big fuss" replied Amy

"Well we can organise that we have the day alone then" replied Sheldon

"That would work and then maybe in the evening have people over, my mom could have the kids from the night before and bring them back later in the day"

"Sure and also there is a reason why I put Mom and Meemaw in the annexe" said Sheldon

"Oh whys that?

"As you saw for yourself, my mom is not comfortable with watching physical contact and I definitely don't want her to hear what we about to do" replied Sheldon as he cuddled up closer to Amy and kissed her

"We still have Missy right above us though" said Amy once they stopped kissing

"Yes but she wont be able to hear us" replied Sheldon as he moved on top of Amy and they kissed again

_**Next chapter will have Amy's birthday and possibly the wedding and Christmas, just depends how I make the chapter go**_


	39. Chapter 39

_**Two weeks later Amy's birthday and other stuff**_

It was 5am on a Friday and Leonard and Penny were woken simultaneously by her mobile ringing and then the doorbell which set Jess and Jack off barking

"What the hell!" exclaimed Penny jumping at all the noise

"You answer the phone and I will get the door" said Leonard climbing out of bed and putting his dressing gown on while Penny answered the phone, she saw that it was Sarah video calling her

"Hi Sarah, what's up?

"Hi Penny sorry to call you so early, you will probably have Raj knocking on your door at any moment" replied Sarah

"Yes, Leonard has just gone to answer the door now" replied Penny going downstairs with the phone and seeing that it was Raj who was also in his dressing gown

"Ok, I am afraid that I am the bearer of bad news, during the night the Dallas Store was broken into and had many items stolen and then the store was set on fire, causing a lot of damage to stock and the store itself" said Sarah

"That's awful, was any of our collection ruined?

"Yes although we are unable to gain entrance at the moment until the fire brigade have finished, I am booked on the 11am flight to Dallas, I have checked and there is a flight leaving at midday for you and Raj that I have booked you on, assuming that you want to go and see for yourselves the damage?

Penny looked at Raj who nodded

"Yes of course"

"Good, now Bloomingdales are insured so we will pay for all the costs of replacing your stock" said Sarah carrying on

"Do you know who did the break in? asked Raj

"Yes apparently an employee of the store next door was fired for stealing and he took it out on several shops by coming back with a load of his mates and ransacking and burning everything in site and they would of carried on if they hadn't of been spotted"

"Do you know how long it will be before the store is reopened? Asked Penny

"No and from the pictures I have seen probably not for a few weeks, the whole place will need cleaning from the smoke and fire damage and then redecorating, also the windows and front door were smashed, so you have time to get new stock, I don't know if there will be much of your collection to salvage, the manager of the store lives just around the corner so was one of the first there and also managed to get into the store while it was on fire which was very dangerous and she has re-laid to me what she could see through the smoke"

"That was very brave of her" commented Penny

"More like very stupid, saving clothes is not worth losing a life over, I have booked us in to a hotel near the store for tonight and maybe tomorrow, I don't know how long it will take to sort out things for you, I know you have an inventory of what you have here and we send you the daily reports of what has been sold so that might help"

"Ok, I will need to pack a few things then" said Penny

_****__**"**_Yes also, our flights should be landing around about the same time, so I will wait in arrivals for you, when you get to LAX just go to the United Airlines desk and they will have your flight boarding tickets" said Sarah

"Ok see you soon" said Penny ending the call

"Penny the only good thing about this is that we won't have to pay for any replacements" said Raj

"I know but it's horrible that somebody could do that"

"Well not everybody is nice like us" replied Raj patting her on the back

"Right well I better go and get dressed, did anybody see you run down the road dressed like that? Asked Penny

"Its 5am nobody saw me but Kelly who was having trouble sleeping and is probably wondering where I have gone, I shall pick you up at 9am" replied Raj

"Sure, I wonder whether we could use some of the surplus stock at our store to send over? Mused Penny

"I doubt it, Sarah already said that it would take a few weeks so if you email the seamstresses and the tailors they can get started once we know what we need" said Raj

"Sure, Leonard will you be ok with the boys for a couple of days?

"Of course but I have a class this morning but I can ask if Sheldon and Amy can mind the boys until lunchtime, Barbara has Marie and Richard at the moment"

"Ok, can you get the boys ready then while I pack a few things? Asked Penny

"Sure but lets leave them until its time for them to wake up, otherwise they will be grumpy" replied Leonard

Meanwhile next door Sheldon had woken early at 7am and was planning on surprising Amy with a birthday breakfast in bed when there was a knock at the door, going to the door he saw Leonard there with Archie standing besides him and Corey in his baby chair, he showed them in

"Hi Sheldon sorry to do this but Penny has to go to Dallas as a fire hit the store there and ruined a lot of her collection as well as the store, I have to go to work but I will try to be back by lunchtime, could you have the boys until then please?

"Sure, that's terrible about what happened in Dallas though, go through to the lounge and I will get Amy" replied Sheldon going upstairs to see Amy, although she had woken up on hearing the doorbell

"Morning Sheldon, who was at the door?

"Leonard and the boys, I have agreed we will look after them until lunchtime, Penny has to go to Dallas" replied Sheldon as he told her the rest of what Leonard said

"That's fine, we can still have the rest of the day afterwards to ourselves" replied Amy pulling Sheldon down onto the bed for a moment and kissing him

"You will get a birthday surprise from me later" said Sheldon when they stopped kissing

"Good, tell Leonard I will be down in a moment" said Amy

Sheldon went back downstairs and showed Leonard out while he supervised the boys and gave them breakfast as Leonard had said they hadn't had any

"Uncle Sheldon" said Archie who had come in to the kitchen where Sheldon now was

"Yes?

"Can I have scramby eggs?

"Of course, I was doing that for Amy anyway so I can do it for you"

"Toast as well" carried on Archie

"Of course"

"Mommy going on plane" said Archie again

"Yes I know but she will be back soon" replied Sheldon as Amy came into the kitchen, she was greeted enthusiastically by Duke who was still in a young puppy stage

"Amy" shouted Archie on seeing her and running up to her for a cuddle

"Hello you, how are you?

"Ok, want Sheldon" said Archie holding his arms out to Sheldon

"Well I am supposed to be cooking breakfast but never mind that" replied Sheldon taking Archie from Amy and sitting down at the dining table with him

"Can you take me in the garden to see the rabbits?

"Sure, Amy sorry can you finish the breakfast? Corey is asleep in the playpen"

"Ok"

Sheldon and Amy spent the morning playing with the boys and while they were in the lounge watching TV, Sheldon and Amy went to the kitchen and Amy suggested that they go to the Cheesecake factory for lunch and ask Barbara to bring Marie and Richard

"Are you sure? It's supposed to be your birthday and you chilling out for the day" said Sheldon

"Yes I know but sometimes the best laid plans don't always work out and it's been fun having Archie and Corey, you can always text Leonard to see if he wants to meet us there as well" replied Amy

"Ok, I have a gift for you, I kept the monkey charm bracelet to give you for a special occasion and I think this counts as a special occasion" said Sheldon passing her the box

"Thank you, it's very lovely and this time I shall keep it" replied Amy as Sheldon put it on her wrist and kissed her as he did so

"You know Sheldon, I want us to have another baby but we need to plan carefully because I kind of want to have one around Christmas next year" said Amy putting her arms around Sheldon's neck and kissing him

"Well I agree to that but why Christmas?

"Just a thought, there is already a lot of birthdays in July and August and we are supposed to be going to London and I have to go to Harvard in September and that will be the last time I can fly until after the baby is born if I get pregnant at the right time that is"

"Talking of going to London, I checked earlier and the flights are out for August, perhaps when Penny comes back we can discuss what days we want to go" replied Sheldon

"Sure that works but first while they are quiet watching TV, let's have a few minutes to ourselves" said Amy as she leaned up to kiss and cuddle Sheldon again

"Mmmm you are gorgeous Amy and I love you very much" said Sheldon a bit later

"I love you too, I will just ring mom and ask her to meet us at the cheesecake factory and you can tell Leonard also" replied Amy

Sheldon not only rang Leonard but the Cheesecake factory to book a table and also checked to see if their other friends were able to meet them there but he didn't tell Amy this

"Come on then lets go" said Amy picking Corey up and Sheldon walked with Archie out to the car

"Where are we going Amy? Asked Archie

"To the Cheesecake Factory for lunch" replied Amy

_**Meanwhile, Penny and Raj **_had just landed in Dallas and went through to the arrivals and met Sarah there

"Hey you two, I only landed 20 minutes ago, I have already booked us a rental car which we can pick up outside, we can check into the hotel later on" said Sarah

"Ok, are we going straight to the store? Asked Penny

"Yes apparently it's now safe to enter" replied Sarah

15 minutes later they pulled up in a car park opposite the shopping parade and they saw for themselves the mess that had been left behind which 4 stores that had been set on fire and totally trashed

"It looked awful in the pictures but up front it looks even worse" commented Sarah as she spotted the store manager Megan outside with a fireman and they walked towards her

"If anything can be salvaged I would be very surprised" said Penny

"Hi Megan, this is Penny and Raj the owners of the collection we have here" said Sarah introducing them

"Oh hi, I have only been in briefly and everything is ruined, the person that did this did it totally to get revenge on the store next door but he didn't stop there" said Megan showing them into the shop, they went to the area where Penny's collection was and all that was left was a few suits with scorch marks and paint all over them

"What's with the paint? Asked Raj

"When you want to cause destruction then why not ruin things totally with everything you have" said Sarah as they walked round the rest of the store

"We can't go upstairs as some of the floorboards have collapsed" said Megan

"I think we should go to a café and talk" said Sarah

"My sister owns the café round the corner and she said we can have as much free tea and cake as we like" said Megan walking them down the road to the cafe

"Well I bought my laptop which has all the figures for what we had here and what's been sold in the last couple of days so we should know what we need to replace, maybe it won't be as bad as I thought" said Penny once they were sat at a table

"Yes and I spoke to the seamstress and the tailors and they will start on getting everything done, Alex is going to purchase more materials and fabric and take it over to them" said Raj

"Do we need to do anything to help with the insurance claim? Asked Penny

"No not really, basically the insurers will arrive on Monday to take pictures of all the damage and check for missing stock, so at least we still have the daily report that we send that we can use, I will be here until Tuesday at least but you two can go home if you like, I already checked that there is a flight leaving at 730pm tonight that I can book you on if you like? Said Sarah as she logged back onto the airline site

"Sure that works and I am glad I came to see it for myself though, even though it's devastating for the two of us" said Penny

"Yes, I think I will also ensure that we get shutters for the storefront, they are ugly but it will put a stop to this ever happening again" said Sarah

"The guy that did this? I take it he was arrested? Asked Raj

"Yes of course, he and his mates that they caught should be charged with Arson, Criminal damage and Theft, there is CCTV footage of everything in all the stores" replied Sarah

"That sounds like they will sentenced to a long time in jail, if we go by previous history" said Raj

"Yes it's likely that once they are charged they will get a minimum of at least 10 years, I already checked with our company lawyer" said Sarah

"Oh I hope they have a trial I would definitely come back for that" said Penny

"Well if they plead guilty then they will just be sentenced to whatever the judge decides on" said Sarah

_**Back home **_in Pasadena, Sheldon and Amy had just arrived at the Cheesecake Factory, Amy was only expecting to see her mom and her children though and was surprised to see there was a small section reserved just for her and that Bernadette, Kelly and the kids were all waiting for her, Leonard had arrived at the same time as them

"Oh you guys, this is a surprise but then everything about today has been kind of unplanned" said Amy hugging everybody

"Well when Sheldon told us that the plans had changed we thought it would be good to share you birthday with you" replied Bernadette as a waiter came and took their orders

"That's awful news about Penny's collection though" said Kelly

"Mommy" said Marie on seeing Amy

"Hi Marie, have you been good for Nanny?

"Yes mommy and she said we can have cake for your birthday"

"Of course you can"

"Can I sit next to Archie? Asked Marie who was sitting opposite him

"Sure why not, do you and Richard want to come home with me and Daddy tonight? Asked Amy to her children

"Yes mommy" said Marie

"Ok, would all the children like to have a sleepover at our house? Asked Sheldon suddenly, this suggestion was greeted with squeals of delight from Marie, Richard, Rose and Chandra

"Amy is that ok? Asked Kelly

"Yes in fact I think we should turn it into an afternoon pool party, see if Natasha, George and Alex can join us as well, once they have finished work" replied Amy smiling at everybody

Later as the group were leaving the restaurant, Leonard received a text from Penny

"Oh, Penny and Raj are coming back tonight although not until late" said Leonard

"That was quick work" said Amy

"Yes by all accounts apart from seeing the damage for themselves, there is not much else they can do" replied Leonard as he strapped Archie and Corey into the car and the group drove off back towards Amy and Sheldon's house

Once they were back home, Amy set about getting Marie and Richard into swimming outfits and let them into the pool house, the other children soon joined them and were splashing away happily, all of the ladies received a text from Natasha inviting them all to go with her to a bridal shop on Saturday

"That sounds like fun, I never got to choose my dress" said Amy

"You still looked beautiful in it though, did you not like it?" replied Sheldon

"Of course I did and I just meant that most brides usually have a bit of notice, whereas I had less than a day which all things considering is probably better than worrying about it for ages before" said Amy as Corey started crying suddenly and no amount of cuddling from Leonard would help him settle

"Amy, Corey is due a sleep, do you mind holding him while I sort out a bottle for him? Asked Leonard

"No sure go ahead" replied Amy taking Corey from him

"Want dadda" said Corey as he watched Leonard go back inside the house

"I know he will be back in a moment" said Amy cuddling him

The impromptu party carried on until quite late and people were still there at 11pm when Penny and Raj arrived back home, they came straight to the party

"Hey you two" said Amy letting them in and taking them to the lounge where the adults were still awake and all the children were sleeping, Leonard and Kelly greeted their partners with hugs and kisses

"How did things go? Asked Leonard

"It was as bad as I thought it would be but it wont cost us anything to get replaced so that's one good thing" replied Penny as Leonard vacated his seat and let her sit down

"Penny are you coming with me and the girls bridal shopping tomorrow? Asked Natasha

"Yes but hopefully not too early and Alex good one on swapping shifts with Christine so that you can join us" said Penny

"That's ok, you seem a bit off? Asked Alex

"No no it's fine, I am just exhausted that's all" replied Penny

"How about we meet up at midday, I have two stores I want to visit in Beverley Hills, we can all go in my car" said Natasha

"Sure that works, also Natasha I would like you to have my tiara as something borrowed for your wedding, I lent it to Penny for hers and as you will be my new sister in law I want you to have it as well" said Amy

"Amy that's wonderful thank you" replied Natasha giving her a hug

"Seeing as we are all here we need to think about when our families are coming, because if you are getting married on the 23rd, we still need time to have stag and hen nights before so I suggest that we ask them to come around the 18th of Dec and plan for the stag do on the 20th and the hen night on the 21st" said Amy to Penny

"Ok, also Raj didn't you say your parents would be here? Asked Penny

"Yes"

"You can ask them to the wedding as well if you like, we are more than happy to have them here" said George

"Thank you, I will ask them and see what they say" replied Raj who looked as exhausted as Penny did

"I think we will be heading off now" said Kelly noticing his tiredness

"Also us as well" said Bernadette

"Well thank you all for coming, I am glad the plans were changed, although not the reasons for it" said Amy showing them out and going back to the lounge where Penny and Leonard were cuddled up on the sofa

"Are you two doing anything for your wedding anniversary? Asked Sheldon

"Not really, probably just hang out at home, why?

"If you want to have the night off from the kids, we can have them" said Sheldon

"Thanks we will think about it" replied Leonard"

They left soon after and Amy took Marie and Richard up to bed and returned back downstairs to Sheldon who was clearing up and taking plates and glasses from the lounge to the kitchen, Amy went out to the garden with the dogs and sat down at the picnic bench and Sheldon joined her

"See that wasn't bad for a birthday, seeing as you wanted to not have a fuss" said Sheldon kissing her

"I know and it was pretty much perfect" replied Amy

"Well I have another gift for you and if you would like to come with me, I will show you what it is" replied Sheldon standing up and taking Amy's hand and leading her back inside the house, he locked up and led her upstairs to their bedroom where there was a large present on the bed

"This is for you" said Sheldon handing it to her, Amy unwrapped it quickly and found a gold Basque and suspender outfit

"I am guessing that this is also a treat for you" said Amy saucily

"Oh you bet it is" replied Sheldon laying her down on the bed and kissing her, they lay kissing and grinding against each other and enjoying each other for a while

"Would you like me to dress up in it now? Asked Amy sitting up and leaning against the headboards

"Well that was in the plan" murmured Sheldon who Amy knew was very turned on

"I will be right back" said Amy attempting to get off the bed and being held back by Sheldon

"Not yet, I need you Amy" replied Sheldon as he took all his clothing off and then helped Amy with hers

"I will be back in a moment" said Amy kissing him and cupping his erection

In the bathroom Amy was happy to see that Sheldon had got the right size and the outfit fitted perfectly, checking that she looked ok she left the bathroom and leaned against the now closed door in what she thought was a sexy pose, Sheldon was sitting on the edge of the bed waiting for her, he was by her side in an instance, pressing up against her kissing her

"Oh Amy I think it's both our birthdays rolled into one at the moment" said Sheldon leading her to the bed

"In that case I think both of us are about to get lucky" replied Amy


	40. Chapter 40

_**Smut alert for later in the chapter**_

The next morning Sheldon and Amy woke up after just a few hours of sleep after a very satisfying night, Sheldon was spooning Amy and had woken feeling amorous again

"Morning Amy" said Sheldon kissing her shoulders

"Morning stud" replied Amy shivering at his light touch, she could feel Sheldon's erection pressing against her, so turned over to kiss him, he responded by pulling her closer and they wrapped their legs around each other while Amy gently fondled his arousal and still kissing, Sheldon fondled her erect nipples and they started grinding against each other, with Sheldon teasing her clit with his arousal

"You know that wasn't the only colour available" said Sheldon indicating the Basque and suspenders

"Really well if you fancy another treat like last night, then maybe you should purchase more" replied Amy

"Oh I did" replied Sheldon getting out of the bed and going over to his chest of drawers and returning with a silver coloured set

"Maybe I can wear that on our next date night" replied Amy pulling Sheldon back down on top of her, they continued kissing until they could hear Marie moving around outside the bedroom door

"She will be in here in a moment and wanting us to take her downstairs" said Sheldon rolling off Amy and quickly putting his pyjamas on and passing Amy her nightie

"I can always ask my Mom to have them tonight, if you can't wait until Friday" replied Amy as Sheldon got back into bed with her

"Oh I think the wait will be worth it, although you can help me picture you in it" said Sheldon kissing her again and they lay cuddling until Marie banged on the door and barged in and got into bed with them

"Hi Daddy" said Marie

"Morning Marie, did you sleep well?

"Yes am hungry now though" replied Marie cuddling up to Sheldon

"Is Richard awake? Asked Amy

"Yes but he playing with toys" replied Marie

"Ok let's take you downstairs for breakfast then" said Sheldon

"Also daddy will be looking after you both as I have to go out for the afternoon" said Amy

"Can you bring me something nice back?

"Of course" replied Amy

_**At midday **_Natasha picked everybody up and on the way to Beverley Hills, informed the girls about wedding plans

"George and I this morning went to the Pasadena Church round the corner and have managed to book it for 4pm on the 23rd, also we have booked the function room at the Langham Hall Hotel, we have booked a limousine to take me to the church and have hired a 50 seat coach to take any guests to the reception" said Natasha

"4pm is a bit late for a wedding" commented Bernadette

"Yes I know but that was the only time we could get but at least it gives me all day to get ready" replied Natasha

"How's David doing? Asked Penny

"He is fine, its hard to leave him when he is so young, but Howard will have some good bonding time with him and its not like we will be out all day" replied Bernadette

"Also just a little request and I have already text Missy this as well, neither George or I want strippers at the Hen and Stag nights, they are just so tacky, maybe we just go to a bar and have a good time, I think I will invite some of the store staff as well" said Natasha

"Sure, are you choosing bridesmaid and page boy dresses as well today? Asked Penny

"No today is just for the dress" replied Natasha

"Are you going with a colour scheme for the dresses and pageboy suits? Asked Penny

"Well I was thinking of having pale blue, also Kelly I would like to add Chandra as a pageboy" said Natasha

"Really? Thank you" replied Kelly

"Also George and I checked and we have booked rooms for everybody to stay in after the wedding reception but you will all have to pay for them, sorry about that" said Natasha

"Don't be sorry, we will pay you" said Amy

"Do you know what sort of dress you would like? Asked Alex

"Yes, I don't want a big long train behind me, just something that either veers off to the side a little or a little train and with straps"

They arrived in Beverley Hills not long after and made their way to the first bridal store, they were greeted by an assistant who took Natasha's measurements and showed her a selection of dresses that Natasha had requested

Natasha tried on the first dress which was a pure silk Empire Spaghetti strap with a Chifron chapel train and emerged from the dressing room to show her friends, they all said she looked beautiful

"Natasha, you will need this to see if it goes with the dress" said Amy passing her a velvet bag which had her tiara in it

"Oh thanks" replied Natasha putting the tiara on and the veil that came with the dress, the checked herself in the mirror

"Nat its perfect" said Penny

"I think I want this one, is it bad though to choose the first dress I see?

"No and George will think you are gorgeous in the dress and take it from me, the less time spent looking for dresses the better" replied Bernadette

"Well if you do buy it at least you can look for bridesmaid and page boy dresses, do they do them in here? Asked Penny

"Yes we do, what sizes are you looking for? Asked the assistant

"Oh well I am having 5 children under 4 so small really, I can look and come back with the children another time for fittings" said Natasha

"Will you be buying this dress? Because we have heels that go with the dress" said the assistant producing a pair of white stilettos' which Natasha tried on

"Yes everything is perfect, how much is the dress and shoes? There isn't a price showing" said Natasha

"The dress and shoes combined come to $650" replied the assistant

"Thanks I will pay for it now and it fits perfectly"

"Will you be taking it home now? Asked the assistant

"Yes"

"Penny if you want to choose your maid of honour dress then you can" said Natasha

Penny went with the assistant who showed her a selection of dresses and found a strapless dress that she liked, she checked with Natasha that she approved and Natasha paid for the dresses and shoes, Penny suggested keeping the gown at her house so that George wouldn't see it and they set about looking for bridesmaid dresses, the store did not do page boy outfits but they saw a couple of dresses that might suit Rose and Marie and said they would be back the following weekend, Natasha put the dress and shoes in the car and they drove back home after Amy requested a detour to pick up some toys for Marie and Richard, this led to Kelly, Penny and Bernadette doing the same

On the way back Penny made a suggestion to Natasha

"Nat if you need any accessories, use whatever you like from the store, that's my gift to you" said Penny

"Thanks sis" replied Natasha

"Is George responsible for getting his own outfit and the best mans? Asked Amy

"Yes, he will be getting something for my dad as well, also we want Howard and Raj to wear the same as the men so they will get new outfits as well" replied Natasha

Penny took the dress and shoes into her own house and left them in the attic bedroom and went to Amy's house as Leonard was with Sheldon and the kids

"Good glad you are here, we can sort out booking flights for London" said Sheldon

"When did you want to go? Asked Penny

"Well we were thinking of the 5th and returning on the 19th" replied Sheldon showing them the flight details on the laptop

"Yes that works for us, also Archie's birthday will be while we are away" replied Penny as her phone started ringing, she saw that it was Sarah video calling her

"Hi Sarah"

"Hi Penny, I have some news, are you near a laptop?

"Yes why?

"Well we have discovered that the man that instigated the break in and arson of the stores, had a van and a getaway driver, the van has been found burnt out with all the clothing that was stolen"

"Oh that's awful" replied Penny

"That's not all though, the person who had the van which was stolen also appears to have filmed everything and sent us the video, we have passed it on to the police and I just thought you would like to see"

"Sure, let me just give you Sheldon's email address as my laptop is next door" said Penny quickly giving her the details

"I will forward the video there and stay on here while you look it" said Sarah as the video appeared in Sheldon's inbox,

Penny took the laptop from him and opened the video, she was horrified by the video and the severity of the attack

"You know Penny, they stole all the most expensive items and left the lesser ones there but still ruined them, also we wont be reopening the store for at least 3 months, there is more work than first expected to do and plus having to get more stock in, that can take a while" said Sarah

"Have you heard if the men have pleaded guilty yet?

"Not yet I suspect we won't hear anything until Monday at the earliest, but our lawyers are pushing for the strongest sentence that is possible" replied Sarah

"Are you still staying there until then? Asked Penny

"Yes my husband has arranged for childminders and is flying out to be with me tonight"

"That's sweet" replied Penny

"Yes it is, look Penny I have to go and see the police again as they want to see me with regards to the video, I shall speak with you soon and can you pass the video onto Raj?

"Sure, talk soon" replied Penny ending the call and watching the video again

"Penny watching that will just upset you, its bad enough sitting here as an outsider seeing it" said Amy

"I know but I still can't believe somebody would do that just to get revenge on their former employer"

"Not everybody is nice, remember that Penny" said Leonard

"Going back to something nice, I have booked us in to The Savoy hotel which is a luxury hotel in Central London and I think we all deserve a bit of luxury, the rooms are two suites with extra rooms for the kids to sleep in" said Sheldon showing them pictures of the rooms

"Wow its beautiful and a view of the River Thames right behind it as well" said Penny

"Yes and its central to all the tourist things which I think we will be doing" said Amy

"Mommy can I have sleepover with Archie? Asked Marie coming into the room with him

"When?

"Tonight but we want Rose as well but going next door" said Marie

"Well you will have to ask Leonard and Penny very nicely" replied Amy

"No need to do that, of course you can come over" said Penny as Marie requested that she hug her

"Have the kids been out today? Asked Amy

"Only in the garden, why? Asked Sheldon

"Maybe we can take them to the park, bring the dogs as well" said Amy

"Sure that works" replied Sheldon

"Let me just get Jess and Jack and we can go" said Penny

Once they were at the park, Amy and Penny took the kids to the swings while Sheldon and Leonard let the dogs into the dog park next door, they had Corey in the buggy with them as he didn't want to go on the swings

"Amy my parents are coming on the 18th of December which gives them time to settle in before the stag and hen do's and the wedding

"Yes Mary, Missy and Meemaw are coming that day also" replied Amy as they pushed Marie, Richard and Archie on the swings

_**A few days **_had passed and on Wednesday, Penny was at the store with Raj going over the accounts when she had a Skype call from Sarah

"Hi Sarah"

"Hi Penny, Oh you have Raj with you, that's great I have double good news for us all" said Sarah

"What's that? Asked Raj

"Ok first off, the insurers will be paying out for everything and the people that started the fires on the stores have pleaded guilty, apparently their lawyers convinced them to do so in the hope that they would get a lesser sentence" replied Sarah

"Did they get a lesser sentence? Asked Penny

"No, the judge that tried them is the most experienced judge in Texas and he sentenced the ring leader to 25 years in prison and his little helpers got 15 years each, the police are still trying to track the van driver but its expected he will get the same amount of time"

"That is good news then" said Penny

"Yes although our lawyers and the other stores lawyers were pushing for longer but everybody is happy with that" said Sarah

"Are you still in Dallas? Asked Penny

"Yes but I am at the airport now, waiting for my flight home, it's been a long few days and I miss my kids you know" said Sarah

"Yes I can imagine"

"I better go, just thought I would check in with you and let you know the news so far, I will probably see you in New York in January to negotiate the new contract for the New York store" said Sarah

"Yes of course, see you then" said Penny

_**On Friday afternoon**_, Barbara collected Marie and Richard and took them to her house for the evening, so that Sheldon and Amy could have date night, Amy had taken a half day off work to get ready for Sheldon to return home

Amy already knew that Sheldon wanted her to dress up in the silver Basque and suspenders which she did and put her dressing gown on over the top and went downstairs to cook dinner for the two of them, she was cooking Sheldon's favourite meal of Spaghetti with little pieces of hot dogs cut up, when Sheldon arrived home, he came straight to the kitchen

"Hi Amy, something smells nice" said Sheldon passing her a bouquet of mixed flowers

"Thank you Sheldon these are lovely, let me just find a vase to put them in" replied Amy

"Never mind the vase, why are you in a dressing gown, are you sick? Asked Sheldon

"No I am not sick" replied Amy putting the flowers in the sink and then turning back round "Perhaps you would like to undo my dressing gown" said Amy as Sheldon came closer and did what she asked of him

"Oh boy" said Sheldon standing back to admire her dressed up for him

"You like? Asked Amy

"Oh I more than like it Amy" said Sheldon coming closer to her and pressing her against the sink then kissing her and cupping her breasts though the Basque, Amy so wanted to carry on but didn't want to ruin dinner

"Dinner will be ready shortly, do you think you can wait until afterwards? Asked Amy

"No" murmured Sheldon into her neck as he gently bit her and then picked her up and carried her to the lounge then placed her down on the sofa, he guided Amy's hands down through his trousers and his erection, she pumped him for a moment and pulled his trousers and boxers down and then straddled him so that his erection was pushing against her wetness

"You know good things come to those who wait" said Amy kissing him again and then getting off him and turning to go back to the kitchen, Sheldon quickly stood up and grabbed her from behind and pulled her back down onto him

"When you tempt me so much, how on earth can I wait" moaned Sheldon

"Because it will be worth it" replied Amy as they got up and went back to the kitchen

Sheldon followed after putting his trousers back on but he was still aroused and as Amy was at the side dishing up the dinner, he stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her belly, kissing her shoulders and pressing his arousal against her bottom

"Sheldon there is wine in the fridge if you can get it" said Amy as she tried to dish up the dinner

"Sure" replied Sheldon reluctantly letting her go and pouring the wine for the two of them as Amy brought the plates over to them

"Enjoy and don't rush because we have all night for you to unwrap me even more" said Amy leaning over to kiss him and starting on her food

"You are determined to make me wait aren't you" moaned Sheldon again

"Of course" replied Amy smiling at him, Sheldon got an eyeful of cleavage as she leaned forward and couldn't keep his eyes off her

"Where are the dogs by the way? Asked Sheldon noticing they were not around

"Oh my mom took them, Marie insisted they go with her for the sleepover"

"Good plan" replied Sheldon

They finished the meal and went into the lounge to relax, Amy put on some romantic music and they lay on the sofa kissing and exploring each others bodies

"I'm going to put our wedding song on now, I know its something we do a lot but lets dance to it" said Amy climbing off Sheldon and going to the CD player

"Very good but you are still making me wait" moaned Sheldon who was feeling horny and aroused beyond belief

"Good" replied Amy wrapping her arms around Sheldon's neck and dancing with him as their song played, Sheldon leaned down to kiss her again and as the song ended he led up upstairs to their bedroom

"Now I finally have you" said Sheldon as he stripped off his clothes and as they got on the bed together

Amy kneeled on the bed and encouraged Sheldon to do so and cuddling so their bodies were now touching, Sheldon caressed her breasts through the Basque and pressed his erection against her stomach, then flipped Amy down onto her back and pulled her to the edge of the bed, she wrapped her legs around his back as he entered her, he thrust into her and pulled Amy up into his chest as he did so, Amy was enjoying this new position very much and was moaning lustily into his chest as she licked and sucked his nipples, he continued to thrust deeper into her, Amy could feel she was about to explode from the pleasure

"Oh Amy, I want to enjoy your body so much" said Sheldon as he pulled out of her suddenly and lay cuddling with her, as he took her Basque off, he gave her shoulders little kisses and started caressing her breasts with one hand and his free hand to tease her clit, Amy orgasmed within a few minutes and afterwards lay Sheldon on his back and guided herself on to his erection, Sheldon continued caressing her breasts as she rocked against him, then she leant down to kiss him and they both orgasmed together loudly

"Do you think that was worth the wait?" asked Amy once they had got their breath back

"I would say so! Replied Sheldon as they cuddled against each other and kissed for a few minutes

"Would you like dessert? Asked Amy

"It depends if by dessert you mean actual food or something else here in the bedroom, in any case as you can see I am very ready for more" replied Sheldon

"I have chocolate sauce" said Amy leaning over to the bedside table and producing a little tub

"Is it edible?

"Oh yes and it doesn't matter if we get any on the sheets, they will be changed in the morning" replied Amy taking the lid off and spreading some on Sheldon's chest and his arousal, he shuddered when she caressed his erection

"In that case, you are in for a treat as well" replied Sheldon taking the pot from her and spilling the remainder of it all over her body

_**Next chapter up soon**_


	41. Chapter 41

_**Two weeks later beginning of November**_

_**This chapter will have a bit of jumping forward in time throughout the chapter**_

Leonard and Penny decided to have their friends over for their 4th wedding anniversary and the group had arranged for babysitters to mind the children so they could have a formal sit down dinner, it also happened to be the same day that Kelly had been for her monthly check up on the baby, she was now 16 weeks pregnant.

"I know we are celebrating Leonard and Penny's anniversary but Raj and I also had good news today, the baby is growing well and everything is ok" said Kelly patting her bump

"That is good news, did you find out what you are having? Asked Penny

"Yes, we are having a girl" replied Raj

"We have already named her Yasmin" added Kelly

"Oh that's a pretty name" said Amy

"Yes it fits with the Hindu Indian theme we have with the names" said Kelly

"When exactly are you due? Asked Amy

"Around the beginning of March, so Marie may have to share her birthday" replied Kelly

"That will be nice" smiled Amy

"I miss David" said Bernadette suddenly

"Of course you do and it's only for a few hours Bernie" said Howard hugging her

"Are you two going to have more? Asked Alex

"I think we are done for now, I think three is enough for us to cope with but I wont say no to more just yet" replied Bernadette

"How's the wedding plans going Natasha? Asked Amy

"Very good, we have all the outfits now, we have ordered flowers for the bridesmaids and Penny, the only thing we are having trouble with is the seating plan for the reception afterwards" said Natasha

"Why what's wrong? Asked Bernadette

"It's the whole thing again of not upsetting people if I can't put them on the top table with me and George" replied Natasha

"Natasha, it's your wedding, we know you can't please us all, we are here to support you remember that" said Bernadette

"I know and George has already said to me that we just have a top table just for the immediate family which has at least 9 people that I cant leave out and my brother still hasn't responded to whether he is coming or not"

"Everybody else can sit together, we will do a seating plan where people that know each other can sit together which will please everybody" added George

"The other idea was that we have spoken to the Langham hotel and they suggested they do a buffet style and everybody can sit wherever they like but I think we will just go with the buffet style idea and have a seating plan" said Natasha

"Have you thought about a honeymoon? Asked Leonard

"Yes, we are going to Alaska in April, we liked it when we went before so why not go again" said George

"Did you and Leonard get each other gifts for your anniversary? Asked Amy

"Well it was more like a gift for the house, as the washing machine broke down and we needed a new one and electrical appliances are traditional for 4 years marriage" replied Penny

"You forgot that you bought me silk boxer shorts that I am wearing" added Leonard

"Oh yes and Leonard bought me this silk shirt that I am wearing" said Penny who was wearing a maroon blouse

"Very pretty" said Amy

"So Raj seeing as you are organising the stag party, have you done that yet? Asked George

"Yes and we are going to a bar, I have reserved a section just for us and I have invited all the people on your list, also I have added our friend Will Wheaton and Barry Kripke who we work with" replied Raj

"Good, what bar is it?

"The one we went to earlier in the year" replied Raj

"Very good"

"That's what I have done for us girls" exclaimed Bernadette "Did you know Raj had planned that" asked Bernadette to Kelly

"No not at all but it doesn't matter, ours is the day afterwards anyway" replied Kelly

"Yes also you boys need to remember you have the children when we go out, so don't be complaining of hang-overs because the children wont understand" said Amy

"We are not planning to get hammered Amy" said Sheldon

"Good because I will be up waiting up for you" replied Amy as she whispered something in to his ear, Sheldon perked up and smiled at her, then kissed her

"I don't even want to know what you said to him" commented Penny pouring more wine for everybody

"Is your dad going to the stag do? Asked Leonard to Penny

"Yes I think so, he will drink you all under the table though so be warned" replied Penny

_**6 weeks later**_

It was the day of the men's stag do and they had agreed to meet at the bar for 7pm, Sheldon was currently in the bedroom deciding what to wear

"Just wear trousers and a shirt, it's not formal" said Amy who was helping him

"I know but I want to look good as well" replied Sheldon as Amy passed him a dark blue checked shirt she had recently got for him

"You will be the best looking man in the bar" said Amy leaning up to kiss him

"I don't think so and I don't want to be either" replied Sheldon as he continued the kiss

"You have ages until you have to leave just yet, come with me" said Amy shutting her bedroom door and sitting on the bed with him

"You have me at an unfair advantage, I have nothing but my boxers on whereas you are fully dressed" said Sheldon

"Well we can always fix that" replied Amy taking her top off to reveal a gold bra which she also took off, she noted that Sheldon was already aroused for her and he manoeuvred them so that they were laying down kissing while he caressed her breasts

"I will miss you tonight Amy" said Sheldon kissing her neck

"I know but I have Penny and Natasha coming over for drinks with Missy and your mom for company" replied Amy as Sheldon started to grind against her

"Amy I need you so much" said Sheldon kissing her breasts and sucking on her nipples

"I know and I shall give you a treat before you go out" replied Amy as Sheldon moved up her so his erection was now near her face, Amy took it in her mouth and proceeded to lick and suck his arousal until he came

"Oh Amy" moaned Sheldon as he climaxed

"That will send you out on a good note and I can give you more when you return if you like" said Amy as Sheldon rolled off her

"I do like very much" said Sheldon going to the bathroom and having a quick shower, he returned as Amy went into brush her teeth and get dressed for the girls night in, she and Sheldon went downstairs to where Missy and Mary were talking with Penny and Natasha

"Shelly you look very smart" said Mary

"Thanks mom, Amy was helping me choose an outfit" replied Sheldon

"Sheldon, Leonard and Wyatt are waiting next door for you with George, so whenever you are ready" said Penny

"Oh sure, bye ladies have a good night" replied Sheldon as walked with Amy to the front door and he gave her a lingering kiss in the hallway

"Remember I will be waiting for you" said Amy hugging him and watching him go, she returned to the living room

"That was a long time to help him choose an outfit" commented Penny who suspected there may have been more to it than that

"Yes I know, sometimes I think he is just like us in that respective" said Amy as she poured herself a glass of wine

George, Wyatt, Sheldon and Leonard arrived at the bar shortly after 7pm, Howard and Raj were already there as was Barry Kripke and Will Wheaton

"Hey guys, what you having to drink? Asked Raj "I have an unlimited tab so you can have anything you like, this is my gift to you" added Raj

"Thank you Raj, I will have a beer please" said George

"Yes me as well" said Leonard

"Sheldon?

"I don't really like beer, lager will do" replied Sheldon sitting down in the booth

Raj returned with the drinks after a few minutes and Sheldon decided to make a speech

"As the best man at this wedding and the fact that you are my brother, I would like to wish you all the luck for the wedding and your future beyond, I hope you are as lucky as Amy and I" said Sheldon raising his drink to everybody

"Thanks Sheldon, also thank you to everybody for coming" replied George as some of his work colleagues turned up also, they continued drinking and joking around with each other and were well on the way to being tipsy until they were approached by some young ladies dressed very inappropriately in short skirts and very low cut tops

"Hi guys, mind if we join you, budge up" said the girl nearest to Sheldon, he looked at her and saw that her face was covered in thick make up, he shuddered in disgust and looked away

"Well we do mind actually, this is a private party" said Leonard

"Then we can make it more fun for you, what are you celebrating" said another girl who was sitting down on the other side of the table

"George over there is getting married" said Raj pointing to him

"Really well perhaps George would like to have one last night of freedom with a few lovely ladies" said the girl

"Well if you know any then send them our way" said George which made the guys laugh and the girl to glare at him

"You would be lucky to get a girl like me" said the one sitting next to Sheldon who then stood up and clambered over him to get to George and was trying unsuccessfully to flirt with him, George now looked like Sheldon did, very disgusted, he noted that Wyatt was looking at him to see what he would do

"I already have a beautiful fiancée and I am not the type to hang out with skanky girls like you" said George standing up and indicating for Sheldon to get out of the way, he took the girl by the arm and threw her out of the bar, when he returned he noticed her friends had moved off to another table and were watching them

"Good job George" said Raj

"Yes and now we just need to make sure the others don't try it" replied George taking a long sip from his drink

"Good work son, I liked how you dealt with that, if you didn't already have my approval then that would have sealed it" commented Wyatt

"Oh no" said Sheldon as another girl came and sat with them

"If your friend isn't game, how about you" said the girl

"No thanks I am married and he is my brother" replied Sheldon trying not to look at her enormous cleavage

"So" replied the girl stroking his arm

"Happily Married, now if you excuse me" said Sheldon shrugging her off getting up and walking outside, he phoned Amy

"Amy help" was the first thing he said on hearing her voice

"What's the matter?

"There are some desperate girls throwing themselves at us, George just had to forcibly throw one out and now this other one keeps sitting next to me"

"Oh Sheldon just ignore them" replied Amy

"Can you come and rescue me? Asked Sheldon in a small voice, he heard laughing in the background

"No I can't, look just ignore them and have a good night" said Amy ending the call, he went back inside where the bar manager was now evicting the girls with help from the bar staff

"Where did you go? Asked Leonard

"To phone Amy and see if she can rescue me from these crazy women in here" replied Sheldon

"Well they are going now, so we can just enjoy the rest of the evening" replied George

"Yeah don't let it ruin a good night" said Raj

"You know I don't have a girlfriend, I would of taken them off your hands" said Kripke

"Nothing stopping you if you want to go after them" said Leonard

"I will" said Barry getting up and leaving the bar, he returned less than two minutes later

"Couldn't find them hey? Asked Howard

"No I found them, apparently they only want in their words "the tall good looking dude and his brother" replied Kripke

"They will be waiting an awful long time then" replied Sheldon downing the rest of his drink in one and going for another

A couple of hours later the boys were still drinking and Penny was right about Wyatt drinking everybody under the table, he was the most sober of them all and after some persuasion, George was now taking part in the karaoke with Howard, Sheldon was trying hard to resist but the drink was not helping and he was next in line with Raj

"You know Raj, if Amy was here we could dance and sing together" slurred Sheldon stumbling slightly

"Yes I know and you and Amy would of sucked face as well" replied Raj trying to stop Sheldon falling

"I don't even want to sing, I just want to go home now, can we go home?

"I think the bar shuts in about 15 minutes, do you think you can wait until then?

"Yes as long as I don't have to sing" replied Sheldon going back to their booth where Leonard and Wyatt were talking

"Hey buddy you ok" said Leonard who was also a little tipsy but not like Sheldon

"Yes, be glad to get home, feeling a bit ill" replied Sheldon

"Well I have called some taxis, Kelly and the kids are staying at Bernadette's so Howard is going home with Raj and you can travel with me George and Wyatt" replied Leonard

"Here you go Sheldon" said Raj passing him a pint of water

"What's this?

"It's to help you sober up a bit" replied Raj

"Thanks good buddy Raj, isn't Raj great" said Sheldon to Leonard and Wyatt

"Yes he is" replied Leonard as his phone beeped "Oh that will be our taxis" said Leonard as George and Howard came back and they left the bar

The cold air outside hit Sheldon and he immediately vomited into a nearby bin before being helped into the taxi

"He isn't going to be sick in my car is he? Asked the driver looking dubiously at Sheldon

"No he will be fine" replied Leonard, the taxi dropped them home just after midnight and Sheldon with help from Leonard and George stumbled into his house, Leonard sat him down on the sofa and went to make a pot of tea, the noise woke Amy up who came downstairs to find her husband sprawled out on the sofa, she noted that George and Leonard were not much better either

"Hello Amy my beautiful wife" said Sheldon

"Hi, I take it you had a good night" asked Amy

"it was good but it would be better with you by my side" replied Sheldon holding his hands out to Amy, she came closer and then backed off at the smell of booze on him

"I thought you were not going to get hammered? Asked Amy

"I'm not, I am perfectly fine" said Sheldon as his face went pale, he jumped up and ran to the downstairs bathroom and threw up again very noisily, he left the bathroom and came back to the lounge, George then took his place in the bathroom throwing up, Amy went to the kitchen for some kitchen paper and wiped their faces as they were both sweating and took them to the garden to cool down and sat them down on the picnic bench

"Amy is there anything I can do? Asked Leonard who was rocking slightly

"No it's ok, unless you want to throw up as well?

"No, here is some water for Sheldon to drink, I made tea but I don't think that will be any use" said Leonard

"You can pour me a cup seeing as I am awake" said Amy as George dozed off with his head in his hands, Leonard returned with mug of tea for her and one for himself, he wasn't sure if Amy wanted him to stay especially as Sheldon was rolling his eyes and swaying even though he was sitting down

"How did he get so drunk anyway?

"I don't know, we weren't watching each other, he doesn't drink that much usually" said Leonard

"Right well I think as the annexe is empty we can take these two to sleep in there" said Amy a bit later when Sheldon had finished his water, she left George sleeping while she helped Sheldon to the annexe and they returned to George

"You don't want them in the house? Asked Leonard

"No and its better this way, in the morning they can shower there as well and hopefully wake up without hangovers" replied Amy writing a note for them both and leaving it in the bedrooms

"Ok I shall leave you to it then" said Leonard leaving the house and going back to his own, Penny was in bed but woke up when she heard Leonard and she made him sleep in the spare room after she smelt him

"In the morning make sure you are dressed before you come anywhere near me" said Penny

"Ok, Sheldon and George are asleep in the annexe but they are worse than me" said Leonard

"Well don't think this gets you all out of babysitting duties" said Penny

The next morning at breakfast, it was noted by Mary that Sheldon was absent and Amy looking exhausted

"You ok Amy?

"Yes, just tired"

"I guess that it was my sons coming in at silly o'clock that contributed to that" said Mary

"You could say that" replied Amy as she fed Richard his cereal and passed Marie her toast

"Where are they now?

"Sleeping it off in the annexe" replied Amy as a knock at the door came, she had text Natasha first thing to let her know George was at her house

"Hi Ames, thanks for the text and for looking after George, sorry you were lumbered with that" said Natasha coming into the kitchen

"Not a problem, when you have had 3 years of baby sick then a bit more from your husband and brother in law, won't make much difference" replied Amy shrugging her shoulders

"Is he still asleep?

"Yes I checked on them about 15 minutes ago and they were sleeping, both appear to be fine though, luckily there was no more throwing up" said Amy

"Natasha sit down and have some breakfast" said Meemaw

"Oh its ok, I ate before I came here and I have to go to work" said Natasha

"On the day of your hen do? Asked Mary

"Yes only until 2pm though then I shall be coming back" replied Natasha

"Well I think we can safely say we will not get drunk like the boys did" said Amy as a very red eyed Sheldon appeared at the kitchen door, he let himself in and slumped down on a chair at the table with his head in his hands

"Morning Sheldon I take it you would like some pain killers?

"Yes please" mumbled Sheldon

"What's wrong with Daddy? Asked Marie

"Oh he is just tired" said Amy "Here you go Sheldon" added Amy nudging him

"Thanks" said Sheldon swallowing the tablets with the water provided

"Perhaps you would like to and shower upstairs and then have a bit more sleep" said Amy noticing he still smelt bad, she wasn't the only one

"Mommy what's that smell? Asked Richard

"I don't know maybe it's the dogs" said Amy as she helped Sheldon up and guided him towards the stairs, she returned to the kitchen

"That was probably the best way of dealing with him, when my husband was like that, I used to lock him out" replied Mary

"Well no offence Mary but that's not really the way to go, I love Sheldon and I will look after him even when he smells like a dustbin" replied Amy

"Nice to see you still have some humour with it" said Meemaw

"Ok I have to go as I don't want to be late for work" said Natasha waving at everybody and leaving, a few moments later George appeared at the kitchen door looking just like Sheldon had done a few minutes before

"Pain killers George? Asked Amy springing into action

"Yes please and thanks for taking care of me last night" said George

"Glad you remember your manners George" said his mother

"Here you go, you are welcome to use the family bathroom if you want to shower? Asked Amy

"No its ok, I have to go home and get ready for work, I am due to start at 1030 today so that gives me a bit of time to start feeling a bit more human" replied George swallowing the pills and water

Amy wasn't working that day and Penny came over shortly after breakfast with Archie and Corey

"Leonard is still sleeping, how's Sheldon? Asked Penny

"Well I put him in the annexe to sleep it off and he came in not long ago, I sent him up to have a shower and to sleep" replied Amy

"You forgot the part about clearing up after he and George were throwing" added Missy

"Oh yes that as well" said Amy

"So is everybody ready for the Hen do tonight? Asked Penny

"You bet, although seeing George and Sheldon last night was enough to put anybody off drinking heavily" replied Amy

Amy left them all to it downstairs while she went to check on Sheldon, she noticed he smelt a lot better

"Hey you ok? Asked Amy shaking him slightly

"Yes thanks and thank you for not getting angry with me"

"No reason to Sheldon" replied Amy leaning down to kiss him

"You really are the perfect wife" said Sheldon

"I am indeed and just so that you are totally refreshed for looking after the children tonight, you can go back to sleep, I was just checking on you" replied Amy

"You are nothing like how my mom used to deal with my father" said Sheldon

"That's because we deal with things properly" replied Amy leaning down to kiss him again

"Love you" said Sheldon

"Right back at you, now I will be up again at lunchtime, so that gives you a few hours and I will keep the kids downstairs so you will have peace and quiet" said Amy leaning the room and closing the door

_**Next chapter will have the girl's night out and some wedding and Christmas stuff**_


	42. Chapter 42

_**Cheers for reviews and follows**_

Amy left Sheldon to sleep and he woke at 3 in the afternoon by himself, he took another shower and then made his way downstairs,

"Hi Amy, hey kids" said Sheldon on entering the living room

"Hi Daddy" said Marie running up to him for a hug, he picked her up and kissed her cheek as she wrapped her arms around his neck, then he sat on the sofa with her

"Hello to you" replied Sheldon

"Did you want anything to eat? I can make you something" said Amy

"Do we have bacon and eggs?

"Yes of course, I can make you a full English if you like"

"Thanks, where are Mom and Meemaw?

"They have gone to the church with Hannah and my mom to check it out and Missy is next door talking to Penny" replied Amy going to the kitchen to make Sheldon's food

"Oh I see" replied Sheldon

"Daddy are you feeling better now? Asked Marie who was still snuggled into Sheldon

"Yes I was a bit sick and slept in the annexe so as not to disturb you all" replied Sheldon

"Mommy says you looking after us tonight" said Marie

"Yes that's right and Archie and Corey will be over as well"

"Goodie" replied Marie as she went back to playing with Richard on the floor, Sheldon went to the kitchen where Amy was cooking his food

"Do you want tea? Asked Amy

"Yes please" replied Sheldon smiling at her, Amy smiled back and came over to him and cuddled him, they kissed briefly before being interrupted by Daisy and Cassie who came bounding into the kitchen through the dog flap with a squirrel in Daisy's mouth

"Oh Sheldon you will have to deal with that" said Amy quickly shutting the kitchen door so that Daisy couldn't go any further, she opened the garden door and Sheldon chased Daisy out, luckily she dropped the squirrel and it went scampering off to the back of the garden and up some trees with Daisy still chasing it

"That was an exciting start to the afternoon" commented Sheldon

"Yes, I am surprised Duke did not follow them in, but he likes sleeping I guess" replied Amy looking to the Wendy house where she could see his tail poking out of the door

Amy returned to the kitchen to finish Sheldon's egg and bacon and tea

"There you go enjoy, do you want any toast on the side with that? Said Amy putting his food on the table for him

"I only want you on the side" replied Sheldon looking at her as he sat down

"Well I look forward to that" said Amy leaning down and giving him a quick kiss and cuddle, Sheldon finished his food and then he and Amy were still sitting at the table talking

"What time are you all going out?

"Penny has hired a limo to pick us all up at 7pm so I have a few hours yet to get ready" replied Amy sitting down at the table with him

"Do you know what you are wearing yet?

"Yes probably one of the dresses I got from Penny's store" replied Amy

"Make sure you show me before you go"

"Sure" smiled Amy as Missy came back with Penny, Leonard, Natasha and the boys

"I see my brother is back in the land of living" commented Missy

"You have good vision" replied Sheldon

"You look a lot better than you did this morning" said Missy

"Thank you?

"Sheldon seeing as you are here, I have already asked Leonard the same thing and he agrees with me that it's a good idea, would you stay at George's tomorrow night? Asked Penny

"Sure but why?

"The traditional thing of the groom not seeing the bride the day of the wedding" replied Penny as her phone started to ring, she saw that it was Raj video calling her

"Hi Raj"

"Penny I have something for you to think about"

"What's that?

"Have you heard of Laura Ashley the designer clothes company?

"Yes of course, why?

"Their director of women's clothing has sent me an email requesting to see us in the New Year at some point to discuss having some of our collection at their London store"

"Oh that's fantastic news, but I can't think about it right now, did they say when they want a reply?

"No only that they would like to see us, I haven't sent a reply back but I can say that we will be in touch in early January to talk about it and that we are interested, I have also been given the directors skype address"

"Raj come over to Sheldon's house and bring your laptop" said Penny

"Sure ok see you in a minute" said Raj ending the call

"Penny that's exciting news" said Natasha

"Yes but it just depends on how much it will cost to do and what they want to do" replied Penny

"You can use the office if you like" said Amy as Sheldon went to answer the door

"Thanks, Hi Raj"

"Penny the ladies name is Belinda Hollands, I think if we Skype her now she will be very surprised and she gave us her home Skype and it's probably a good time to do it now" said Raj as Penny led him up the stairs to the office

They Skyped Belinda who answered straight away, Raj introduced himself and Penny to her

"Thank you for calling so quickly, I was expecting to hear from you in the New Year but I can see that you are keen" said Belinda

"Well we would like to hear what you have to say" replied Penny smiling at her

"Ok first of all, you have Sarah to thank as she and I are close friends"

"Sarah from Bloomingdales? Queried Penny

"Yes, she told us how well the collection is doing, what we would like at our Laura Ashley store in London is pretty much the same thing, with the clothing and the accessories range"

"Do you want the men's collection as well?

"I think for now just the women's collection will be fine, perhaps we could arrange to meet in January to talk more? I will be over visiting the Laura Ashley store in San Francisco and I can come to you afterwards" replied Belinda

"When are you coming? Asked Raj

"The 10th of January for 4 days, I will take the opportunity to visit your store as well and we can discuss terms and negotiations on the 12th"

"Ok that works for us" said Penny after a quick look with Raj

"Good, I shall be in touch nearer the time and hope you have a good Christmas and New Year" said Belinda

"You too bye" said Raj and Penny together signing off

"I think we need to Skype Sarah to say thank you" said Penny

"Sure" replied Raj looking for Sarah's Skype address

"Hi Sarah" said Penny on seeing her

"Hello Penny and Raj, I had a feeling you would be calling"

"Thank you for recommending us to Laura Ashley" said Penny

"Your welcome, I know that you were looking to expand into Europe and that you had rejected Dubai but Laura Ashley is a good company and you will do well with them" replied Sarah

"It's appreciated" said Penny

"Very good, isn't tonight your sister's hen do? Asked Sarah

"Yes I should be getting ready but I was just excited when Raj told me about the email he received" said Penny

"I would be as well, wish your sister luck from me for her wedding, not that she needs it" said Sarah

"Will do" said Penny as they signed off

"Now Penny please remember that this is not a done deal just yet, there are still negotiations to do and we need to see the store as well"

"I know and I also know I said a while ago about not giving up too much of our brand, but I think just expanding to London will be good but I will try to reign it in a bit"

"Good, we don't want to say yes to everything, remember that" said Raj as they went downstairs

"What happened? Asked Natasha

"We have a meeting with the lady here on the 12th of January" replied Penny

"That's great news" replied Natasha

"Yes and now I think we all need to get ready considering the time" said Penny

"Sheldon, Wyatt and George will be coming here tonight to help us with the kids" said Leonard

"Good" replied Sheldon

Two hours later Amy had finished getting ready, she was wearing a blue v-neck dress with a belt and was just putting her heels on when Sheldon appeared in the bedroom

"You look lovely Amy" said Sheldon

"Thanks" said Amy spraying herself with some perfume

"You smell lovely as well" said Sheldon coming up behind her and cuddling her and kissing her neck

"Thank you, can you help me put the necklace on? Asked Amy turning round and passing it to him

"Sure, but first come here" said Sheldon pulling Amy into his arms and kissing her, they stumbled to the bed where lay kissing and grinding against each other

"Sheldon my dress will be all crinkled now" mumbled Amy into Sheldon's chest

"Oh yes, sorry about that" replied Sheldon as he continued to kiss her and run his hands up and down her legs and up her dress to fondle her breasts

"I have to finish getting ready, although I would love to stay here with you" said Amy

"Then stay" replied Sheldon moving against her, she could feel his arousal pressing against her and was very tempted to stay

"No I need to go" replied Amy still not making any attempt to get off the bed

"I know" replied Sheldon getting off her and helping her off the bed, Amy brushed her dress down to get rid of any creases and reapplied her lipstick which had been kissed away

"I shall do your necklace now as well" said Sheldon and as he clasped the necklace on, he pressed his arousal against Amy's back and kissed her shoulders again

"How do I look really? Asked Amy

"You will be the best looking woman in the bar" replied Sheldon

"That's very kind but also very untrue" said Amy kissing him

"Of course it's true, I don't say things I don't mean Amy" replied Sheldon

"Penny and Natasha are gorgeous, I am passable at best"

"Amy stop that now, while they might have conventional beauty, you are the one I love and fancy"

"You fancy me?

"Well yes, I thought that was obvious, especially with what we just did" replied Sheldon looking at her strangely

"I guess I never really thought about it that way" replied Amy

"If you are ready we better get you downstairs" said Sheldon taking her hand

"I fancy you as well" said Amy as her face blushed red

"You are cute when you blush" replied Sheldon leaning down to kiss her and they went downstairs to where the kids were waiting to see her, Leonard, George and Wyatt were there with Archie and Corey

"Mommy you look nice" said Marie

"Thank you, now you will be good for Daddy wont you? Asked Amy

"Yes mommy"

"Good, now come here both of you" said Amy giving them both kisses and hugs, she did the same for Archie and Corey then she went to the kitchen to collect her bag and made her way to the front door, Sheldon stepped outside with her and sat down on the bench with her

"Amy I hope you have a good time and don't do what I did last night" said Sheldon putting his arm around her

"I plan to have a few drinks but definitely not get drunk" replied Amy as Sheldon leaned into her, he lifted her chin and kissed her for a few minutes until they heard the limousine pull up outside Penny's house

"I will wait up for you" said Sheldon as they stood up together, they had another quick hug and kiss and Sheldon walked her round as everybody emerged from Penny's house and they all piled into the limo

"Bye Sheldon, see you later" said Amy waving to him

"That was sweet of him to walk you to the limo" said Penny

"He's a very sweet man" said Amy with a dreamy look on her face

The limo was stocked with champagne and Natasha was wearing a baseball cap that said "I'm the bride" on it and pretty soon they pulled up outside the bar and made their way in to the reserved area that Bernadette and Kelly had booked

"Right" said Penny "Drinks are on me tonight, what's everybody having?

Penny took the orders and returned a few minutes later and the little group were chatting about the plans for the wedding and other things

"Alex are you bringing Mitchell to the wedding? Asked Penny

"No he is working but he said that he would try to come for the reception afterwards"

"I think there are more of us ladies out tonight than there were guys last night" said Natasha

"You could be right there sis" said Penny

"Natasha what are you plans for tomorrow? Asked Amy

"Well I am going to the beauty salon for a facial and to have my nails done, then nothing after that, everything is done for the wedding"

"Talking of the wedding, Amy can I leave you in charge of Corey during the ceremony as I will be busy making sure the bridesmaids and page boys walk down the aisle properly

"Sure no problems, you have my two so it's a fair swap, but I will help you dressing them all" said Amy

"Thanks, Bernie and Kelly you need to bring Rose and Chandra over about 2pm, I know it will be a long day for them so that time is probably best" said Penny

"Sure, Rose hasn't stopped talking about being a bridesmaid since she was asked" said Bernadette

"Chandra sulked when I told him but I think he is happy about it now" said Kelly rubbing her bump and making a face

"Baby kicking? Asked Penny

"Yes, she seems to be more active at night time" replied Kelly trying to get comfortable

"Kelly don't feel that you have to stay out all night if you are tired" said Natasha

"No I will, it's nice to get away from the kids for a couple of hours, back in a sec" said Kelly getting up and going to the ladies toilet

"Well ladies, thank you for coming and most of all for supporting me" said Natasha when Kelly returned

"We wouldn't have missed it for anything" said Amy smiling at her

"George looked rough when he came into the store this morning" said Alex

"I know but it serves him right for drinking so much" said Natasha

"You know I never bought them up to be drunkards" commented Mary

"They are not drunkards, Mary they just had a few drinks that's all" said Penny

"Poor Amy getting lumbered with two drunks though" said Bernadette

"It wasn't too bad, I just cleaned up after them and put them to bed, I let Sheldon sleep in for as long as he needed and he was fine when he woke up" said Amy

"That's more than I did, I just sent Leonard to sleep in the spare room and left him to it" said Penny

"He wasn't as bad as Sheldon and George though" replied Amy

"I guess not, so Nat are you and George planning on staying in the apartment? Asked Penny

"Yes for now, we have a plan to save for a deposit for house and if that works in about two years we will be able to buy somewhere and start a family" replied Natasha

"You can always start sooner than that, you have a spare room after all" said Penny

"Yes I know but we want to be financially ok before doing that, although plans cane change" replied Natasha

"At least your kids will have lots of older cousins and close friends" said Amy

"Yes that's true"

"Look at you Nat, not long ago you were talking about wanting to work and work only and now you are planning ahead for the future"

"Well I had to grow up at some point and without you having faith in me Penny I would stuck in Nebraska bored out of my mind" replied Natasha giving her sister a quick hug

The hen night continued on for several hours, ending after they had a group sing-along of Gloria Gaynor's "I will survive" on the karaoke, most of the girls were very merry, Amy was tipsy but in control and she led the ladies out to the waiting limo at midnight, they were home very quickly, Sheldon, Leonard and Wyatt were playing video games in the game room when they all returned, Mary and Meemaw went straight up to bed while Wyatt and Hannah walked Natasha and Alex back to the apartment block

"Penny are you staying for a small brandy? Asked Amy

"Yes why not, Leonard you don't mind staying do you? Asked Penny sitting on his lap and giving him a big kiss

"Of course not, anywhere with you is always good"

Amy went off to the kitchen to make everybody a brandy, Sheldon followed her

"Did you have a good night?

"Oh yes it was great" replied Amy "Do we have any brandy? I thought we did" said Amy looking in all the cupboards

"Yes it's in the top cupboard here" said Sheldon reaching up to get it and passing it to her

"Thanks, want a little bit?

"Please" replied Sheldon

"Come here first my lovely husband" said Amy as Sheldon moved closer to her, they kissed for a few minutes until Missy called from the lounge asking where the drinks were

"We can finish the kiss in bed" said Sheldon letting her go

"You bet we will" said Amy as she poured the drinks out and took them to the lounge

The next day, Natasha and Penny went to the salon and afterward, Natasha and George spent the afternoon together before Natasha left the apartment and stayed at Penny's house

The day of the wedding came and Natasha chose to put her dress on at the last minute so as not to get any stains or creases on it, she had her hair and make up done, Penny, Amy and Missy helped put the dresses and suits on the bridesmaids and pageboys and by 345 everybody was ready and Amy went off to the church with Corey in his buggy

The limo pulled up outside the house and everybody including Wyatt who was dressed in a morning suit piled in for the short journey to the church, once they were there Penny helped the kids out and told them to wait while she went inside and gave the signal for the music to start and went back outside to where Natasha and Wyatt were standing

"You look stunning Natasha" said Wyatt admiring his daughters dress

"Thanks daddy"

"You ready? Asked Wyatt to his daughter

"Totally"

"Not nervous?

"Not at all, I am marrying the man I love" replied Natasha who was looking radiant in her dress and her borrowed Tiara

"Then lets go" said Wyatt leading her through the church doors with Penny and the kids behind holding flowers

_**Nest chapter up soon**_


	43. Chapter 43

The wedding went perfectly, the bridesmaids and pageboys had been bribed with sweets to behave and Bride and Groom had walked out of the church to everybody throwing confetti over them

George had a surprise for Natasha, in that instead of a limousine to take them to the hotel, he had hired a horse and carriage cart

"George you did this just for me? Asked Natasha

"Of course, you deserve to ride to the hotel in style, although I don't think we will be alone as Archie and Marie are currently standing by the carriage with Amy"

"Oh that's ok, they are our nephew and niece"

"Are we having photos outside the church? Asked George

"Yes the photographer is around somewhere, he took pictures on the way in" replied Natasha

"Tasha can we come in the carriage with you? Asked Marie who was holding Archie's hand

"Of course you can sweetie, there is only room for you two though"

"Mommy, Tasha says yes" said Marie running off to Amy

"Right" said the photographer "If we have the bride and groom in front of the church first off, then we will have the families join in" added the photographer waiting for Natasha and George to get into position

Sheldon had not had a chance to talk to Amy during the service but he thought she looked pretty in her suit and he was currently eyeing her up while she sorted the kids out

"Amy are you going to dance later? Asked Sheldon

"Of course"

"Good because I won't be able to let you go" replied Sheldon leaning in for a kiss which the photographer caught

The rest of the photos were taken and the guests were ferried to the hotel by the coach that Natasha and George had booked, Sheldon had parked his car outside the church so after strapping the kids in the back, he set off after the coach

At the hotel, everybody made their way into the function room, there was a buffet style meal going on and people were able to pick and choose what they wanted but Sheldon decided to do the speeches first

"First of all, I am not a good public speaker but I would like to wish George and Natasha all the best for the future and congratulations, I will also say welcome to the family" said Sheldon raising his glass to them, George then stood up

"Thank you Sheldon that was great, before I talk about my beautiful wife, I would just like to say happy anniversary to Sheldon and Amy for tomorrow, celebrating 5 years of marriage and two great kids in Marie and Richard" said George shaking Sheldon's hand and kissing Amy's cheek

"As for my wife, I have known her socially for around 4 years now and nobody was more surprised than me when she said yes to going out with me, everything about our relationship has gone quickly but I believe when you know something is right then go for it, so thank you Natasha for agreeing to be my wife" said George leaning down to kiss her, Wyatt took his turn to talk

"To have both my daughters married is fantastic and especially so when I know they are going to look after them, George showed me that himself on the stag do, as I said to Leonard when he married Penny, welcome to the family" said Wyatt raising his glass to George

The reception party carried on well into the night, with Natasha and George having their first dance as a married couple, this brought all the other couples on to the floor and that included the children

The next morning Sheldon and Amy woke up on the 5th anniversary of their wedding cuddled together

"Morning Amy" said Sheldon greeting his wife with a kiss

"Same to you, I have a gift for you but it's at home, if you can wait until then"

"Sure, I also have something for you but it needs to be collected, so I will drop you and the kid's home and then get it"

"Sounds intriguing, I am surprised the kids are still asleep" replied Amy looking over at them

"Well it was a late night after all, are we having breakfast here or at home?

"I think at home, the dogs will be wondering where we are" replied Amy as she got out of bed and went for a shower, Sheldon followed her afterwards and once they were done, they went back to the bedroom where the kids were just waking up

As they were checking out of their room in reception, Leonard and Penny appeared with Archie and Corey

"Morning you two, how are you both? Asked Penny

"Very good, we are having drinks at our house this evening if you want to come over, I will text everybody as well" said Amy

"You're not going to the café this year?

"Not this year, apparently they are closed for refurbishment" replied Amy as she noticed Sheldon and Leonard talking quietly with each other

"You ready Sheldon? Asked Amy

"Yep, Leonard and I are going to take the dogs out when we get back and remember I need to collect something for you" replied Sheldon as they made their way to the car park

"Sure ok"

An hour later, Amy was back in her house with Penny and the kids who were playing together when she heard Sheldon coming in the front door

"Amy can you cover your eyes a moment please" called Sheldon who had Daisy, Duke and Cassie with him, Leonard had also brought Jess and Jack in also

"Yes but why?

"Because if you look now it will spoil the surprise! Replied Sheldon as he walked in with Daisy who was wearing a new dog coat with a pocket which contained a bouquet of mixed Daisies and Roses, Daisies being the 5 year flower symbol of marriage

Amy heard the dogs barking and wondered what was going on, she could hear Penny gasping and awing so was even more intrigued

"Ok you can open your eyes now" said Sheldon as he walked Daisy towards Amy, who nudged Amy with her mouth

"Oh thank you Sheldon, the flowers are so pretty and nice touch for Daisy to give me Daisies" said Amy who was smiling from ear to ear

"That's not all" said Sheldon as Leonard appeared behind him with two Birchwood vases

"You know wood gifts are also a symbol of 5 years of marriage" commented Leonard

"Oh I know, I have a surprise waiting for Sheldon in the bedroom, but if he wants to look on the mantelpiece he will see something else" replied Amy taking the flowers out of Daisy's coat and giving the dog a hug which she tried to wriggle out of it

Sheldon looked over to the mantelpiece and saw the letters S&A in wooden map letters

"Amy that's lovely, thank you" replied Sheldon giving her a kiss

"Mommy do we get presents? Asked Marie

"Yes but not until tomorrow"

"Why?

"Because tomorrow is Christmas day, the day of presents"

"But you and Daddy got presents" said Marie again

"Yes but it's because we are celebrating 5 years of marriage" replied Amy

"Actually if you and Richard are very good today I might give you an early present that I have in the car" said Sheldon

"What is it? Asked Archie who also loved presents

"Well its something that all the kids will like anyway" replied Sheldon

"Yeah" shouted Archie and Marie together as they went out to the garden with Richard following

"What did you get them? Asked Amy

"Well I was thinking about how the tree at the end of the garden could be perfect for a kids swing to hang from"

"Is it safe?

"Of course and Leonard I will fit it later, but first we need to eat" replied Sheldon as he went out to the car and collected a bag of shopping which contained lunch

"Are you staying Penny? Sheldon's family are staying in the hotel until later " Asked Amy

"Yes sure, my parents are also staying in the hotel until later so its just us and going by how Natasha and George were snogging on the dance floor I don't think we will be seeing them until much later either" replied Penny

"Were they snogging a lot? Asked Amy

"Yes but then so were you and Sheldon so you may not of noticed" replied Penny

"So Amy are you going to show me this gift in our bedroom? Asked Sheldon trying to change the subject

"Yes I can show you now" replied Amy

Amy took him upstairs to their room, she closed the door behind her and turned Sheldon round to look at a wooden sign that was nailed to the bedroom door that said

"Mr & Mrs Cooper happily married since December 2013"

"Amy that's lovely, but why on the inside of the door?

"Because it's just for us, I was going to put it on the gates but I thought that would be a bit tacky, so here is the best place" replied Amy

"I think we will be able to celebrate properly later" said Sheldon giving Amy a look that meant she knew he wanted her, he settled for picking her up and placing her on the bed before mounting her and kissing and grinding against her

"We have people downstairs Sheldon" said Amy

"I know but I had to have a moment with you" replied Sheldon burying his head in her neck and then rolling off her and taking her downstairs where he started on lunch for everybody

"Daddy can we have spaghetti? Asked Marie

"With hotdogs" added Archie

"Yes of course and I am glad I have got you all to like my favourite meal" replied Sheldon

Later that day, everybody but Howard and Bernadette who had gone to his mothers house had responded to Sheldon and Amy's invitation for drinks and Natasha and George were the last to arrive, both of whom looking exhausted but very happy

"No prizes for guessing what you two have been doing all day" said Penny handing them a glass of champagne each

"Well as we are not having a honeymoon until April and no work until Thursday, we want to make the most of every moment" replied Natasha as she kissed George

"Uncle George" shouted Marie on seeing him

"Yes Marie"

"Look what Daddy and Leonard made" said Marie taking his and Natasha's hand and leading them to the end of the garden where Sheldon had fitted the single swing from the tree

"That's very impressive, do you think it will take my weight? Asked George

"Only one way to try" replied Natasha as George tried to squeeze onto the small seat

"Perhaps not" commented George

"I fit on it" said Marie climbing on and pushing her legs out to make the swing move

"Have you two been home yet? Asked Penny who had followed them to the end of the garden with Archie who waited for Marie to finish before he had a go on it

"Yes only briefly to drop our things off, nice that they are sharing the swing" added Natasha

"Yes well, Leonard also got one for our garden, but Archie doesn't know that yet" replied Penny as they went back to the join the rest of the group and sat down on various sun loungers and chairs

"Tasha want cuddle" said Marie who climbed on to her lap and rested her head on Natasha's chest

"Oh you are very squishy" replied Natasha giving Marie a tickle which made Marie laugh and giggle

"Just think that will be you and George soon" said Penny watching them

"Yes maybe it will be sooner than we planned" replied Natasha

"What does that mean? Asked Mary who was listening in

"Nothing just that we kind of planned to have kids once we can afford to buy a house but we may decide not to wait that long" replied Natasha as George took her hand and kissed it

"Tasha want down" said Marie who once Natasha let her go, ran to Kelly and rested her head on Kelly's bump

"Can you feel the baby moving? Asked Kelly

"Yes it feels funny" said Marie as Archie did the same thing but then Chandra got jealous and pushed them out of the way, Marie and Archie both fell on the floor but were not hurt

"Chandra!" scolded Raj who took him inside the house for a timeout

"Sorry about that" said Kelly to Amy and Penny

"Hey don't worry about it, they are not hurt" replied Amy

Raj came back out with Chandra and made him apologise to Marie and Archie who both gave him little hugs and took him up the garden to see the rabbits, they immediately came back down to Amy

"Mommy, Chandra wants a rabbit, can we get him one for here? Asked Marie

"If Chandra behaves himself then yes he can have one" replied Kelly answering for Amy

"Maybe in the new year" said Amy

"You know Raj, if your parents are still here, you could of brought them over tonight" said Sheldon

"I know but they are visiting friends in Los Angeles, they will be back in the morning as we are having dinner at our house" replied Raj

"I wonder what 2019 will bring us" mused Amy

"Well at least one baby with Kelly" said Penny

"Oh yes" replied Amy

"Mommy are you having a baby? Asked Marie who was now sitting on Leonard's lap

"Not at the moment" replied Amy

"That sounds like you are planning one" commented Penny

"Perhaps, we have talked about it but we will see how it goes" replied Amy

"Us too" said Leonard

"Oh, well good luck, you never know we might end up being baby buddies" replied Amy

"What's baby buddies? Asked Archie

"It's when two friends are pregnant together" replied Penny

"Have you heard when the collection and the store in Dallas will be back open? Asked Amy

"Yes the seamstresses are working on the collection now and Sarah mentioned that by the end of January or early February it should be reopened, hopefully it will never happen again" replied Penny

_**Christmas and New Year **_passed quickly and on the 12th of January, Raj and Penny were waiting for their meeting with Belinda Hollands from Laura Ashley, she was due to arrive at 2pm and it was now 5 minutes over that

"Maybe she isn't coming? Said Penny

"No she's coming, she probably just delayed" replied Raj as Alex knocked on the office door

"Your appointment is here, also I am making her a drink" said Alex

"Oh thanks" said Penny jumping up and going out on to the floor to meet her

"Hi Belinda, I am Penny Hofstadter, so nice to meet you, please come with me" said Penny shaking her hand and leading her to the office

"You have a fantastic building, how long have you been here?

"Oh only since May last year, we had two other buildings that we rented but then we had the opportunity to buy and put everything together which makes financial sense at least" replied Raj

"Belinda you remember my business partner Raj Koothrappali" said Penny

"Yes of course" replied Belinda shaking hands with him as Alex came in with drinks for everybody

"Thanks Alex" replied Penny

"So what I wanted to talk about was your collection obviously and I think its best to wait until you produce the spring collection before launching anything" said Belinda

"Oh sure I agree, are you thinking of having a big collection or just a small collection? Asked Penny

"Well we have already looked at the space we can give you and that would be a quarter of the women's floor at our London store, we were also thinking about the San Francisco store as well but that is too close to the Bloomingdales outlet and wouldn't be good for any of us" said Belinda

"Of course, we would like to visit your store in London before we decide on anything though" said Raj

"Yes that's not a problem, we can arrange that very soon"

"Also I am on vacation in London in August so I can come and see how the collection is going then as well" said Penny

"Yes that will work, I understand from Sarah that you have them send you Daily reports of stock sold and that will continue with us as well, also let me show you on my laptop the floor plan for where your collection would go" said Belinda taking her laptop out and showing them

"We like that and also it's not out of the way where nobody can see it" said Raj

"Yes, now I have a contract here but as you both wish to visit the store first, that can wait, obviously the price we will charge you for rental and administration costs can be negotiated, we were thinking of having the collection for a year with the possibility to extend for around $150,000" said Belinda

"That's a very fair price and I think we can agree on that" said Raj after a quick look with Penny

"Oh you don't want to negotiate? Asked Belinda in surprise

"No we trust you on this one and if it is anything like the success of the Bloomingdale partnership we will both make profits" added Raj

"I agree there" said Belinda packing her laptop up

"Are you staying in Los Angeles until tomorrow? Asked Penny

"Yes I am flying back home in the afternoon"

"Well you can stay with me tonight if you like, I would be delighted to have you"

"She is an excellent hostess" added Raj

"Ok you have twisted my arm" replied Belinda

"Good I will drive you to my house now, did you have any luggage with you?

"Yes your lovely assistant took it for me and put it in your staff room"

"I will get it for you" said Raj leaving the office as Penny and Belinda followed

"Alex, I am leaving now with Belinda, she is staying with us tonight, come over after work if you fancy a drink" said Penny

"Oh sure, thanks" replied Alex

Penny and Raj walked with Belinda to her car and they chatted on the way

"Do you often invite your staff for drinks?

"Well I employ a lot of my friends as staff, that way there is more trust, Alex is the weekend manager and also my casual personal assistant, My Sister Natasha is the week day manager for the women's floor and her husband George is in charge of the men's floor" said Penny as they got into the car and headed off back to Pasadena

"I will let you into a secret, I had my own store and I did the same thing, then I was headhunted by Laura Ashley for more money and sold up, taking my staff with me" replied Belinda

"Oh, I see, Natasha's ex boyfriend was the store manager and he was headhunted and he left straight away with no notice" replied Penny

"I take it the reason he is an ex is because of that? Asked Belinda

"Yes, she dumped him the minute she found out" replied Penny

"Whereabouts in London do you live? Asked Raj

"Oh I live in Chelsea with my Husband Tim" replied Belinda

"Do you have children? Asked Penny

"Yes but they are all grown up and left home now, I have three boys and they are married with kids"

"You don't like old enough to have grandchildren" said Penny in surprise

"Well I like to look after myself darlin" said Belinda doing a pretend pose and swiping her hair

"Good to see you have a sense of humour" said Penny

Pretty soon they were back at the house, Penny had stopped outside Raj's house to drop him off and drove the short distance to her own and let her into the house where she saw a note from Leonard saying that he was next door with the children, Jess and Jack greeted Belinda with curiosity

"Do you like dogs? Asked Penny taking her luggage from her

"Yes I have two Alsatians'"

"Oh good my best friend who lives next door has two German Shepherds, let me take your things up to the loft conversion" said Penny quickly taking everything up and returning and finding Belinda in the lounge looking at the back garden

"You have a lovely house and you have a pool as well"

"Yes it is very well used, I will take you next door to where everybody is and I can introduce you" said Penny leading her out of the house and knocking at Amy's house

"Hi Ames, this is Belinda from Laura Ashley" said Penny standing aside so they could shake hands

"Nice to meet you" smiled Amy

"You too" said Belinda

"Mommy" shouted Archie on seeing Penny

"Hello you, have you been good?

"Yes mommy" replied Archie

"Good, Belinda this is my first born son, Archie, Archie this is Belinda"

"Hello how old are you?

"I am three" said Archie taking her hand and leading her to the garden where Leonard, Sheldon, Natasha and George were with the kids

"Leonard" called Penny "This is Belinda, Belinda my Husband Leonard and my second son Corey who is with him" said Penny as she introduced everybody to each other and mentioned that Natasha and George were newly married

"It's nice to meet you all, congratulations on your marriage" said Belinda to Natasha and George

"Belinda is staying with us overnight" added Penny

"We were thinking of having a BBQ if you would like to stay, also are you ok with dogs? Amy

"Yes I was just telling Penny I have two Alsatians' and your two are gorgeous" said Belinda as Daisy and Duke greeted her, she bent down to stroke and cuddle them

"Thank you, Daisy is 5 and Duke is just over a year now, Cassie is at the back watching the rabbits" said Amy indicating the other dog

"Is that safe? Queried Belinda

"Yes neither can get to each other" said Amy as Raj and Kelly appeared with Chandra and Anita via the side gate, there was more introductions made and soon everybody was laughing and joking with each other

Penny and Raj had gone for a quick talk in the kitchen as Raj suggested he thought that the plan for where the collection would go was ideal and would not require a visit to confirm, Penny agreed and called Belinda in

"We have decided we would like to go ahead with the collection, we will visit the store in the future when the collection is launched but we trust your choice of location" said Raj

"That is good news and I am very pleased you have agreed to this, my laptop is in my suitcase next door though" said Belinda

"Oh I shall get it for you" said Penny going back to her house and returning with the suitcase and using Amy's printer to print the contract out and they signed the deal

"I think we should be ready for the collection to start at the beginning of April" said Penny

"It's a pleasure doing business with you and lets hope it goes on for many years" replied Belinda

Penny went outside with them and after Raj had gone to collect Champagne they had a celebratory drink

"To the business" said Raj raising his glass

_**Next Chapter up soon**_


	44. Chapter 44

_**5 weeks later**_

During the last week of February, Penny and Raj made a two day visit to the Dallas store to oversee the re opening of the Dallas store and their collection being back on sale, the plans for the London store were coming along well and Penny and Raj were due to go over at the beginning of April for a few days to show their faces to the customers, it had already been planned that Leonard would stay in Pasadena but Barbara would still mind Archie and Corey during the day

Penny and Raj had returned home the day before Marie's birthday and Raj was especially glad that Kelly had not given birth while he had been away

On the morning of Marie's birthday, Amy and Sheldon were in bed sleeping when they were woken by Marie banging on the door

"Mommy let me in" shouted Marie from outside

"Sorry just coming" said Amy as Sheldon jumped out of bed and went to the bathroom to find his dressing gown

"Hi mommy" said Marie

"Happy birthday to you" said Amy picking her up and carrying her to the bed

"Why was the door locked? Asked Marie

"Oh I don't know, maybe it was by accident" replied Amy as Sheldon emerged from the bathroom in his dressing gown

"Morning Marie, Happy birthday, is Richard still in bed?

"Yes Daddy, can I get in with you two?

"Of course you can" replied Sheldon as Marie snuggled up to him

"Are we having a party?

"Yes but first we will be having a special birthday breakfast just for you, Archie and Corey are coming over as well" said Amy

"Can I have eggy soldiers?

"You can have anything you like" said Amy

"Can we have the dogs up here just for this morning while we are still in bed? Asked Marie

"Yes I will let them up" said Sheldon going to the bottom gate and opening it, the sound alerted the dogs who raced up the stairs, into the bedroom and onto the bed

"Thanks daddy" said Marie as she was greeted happily by the dogs

"Marie do you want to go to the Zoo today? Asked Sheldon

"Yes daddy, can Archie and Corey come? Asked Marie

"Of course" replied Sheldon

"Why don't you two go downstairs on your own for a moment, I need to talk to Daddy about something" said Amy after a few minutes of cuddles in bed

"Ok, shall we take the dogs? Asked Marie

"Yes" replied Amy watching Marie and Richard go with the dogs following them

"What do you want to talk about? Asked Sheldon

"Just to let you know I came off the pill two weeks ago, it's about the right time for us to start trying for baby number three" replied Amy

"Do you think we could start now? Asked Sheldon bringing Amy closer to him and kissing her, they cuddled for a few minutes until they heard the doorbell go

"Obviously not but my mom will take the kids tonight after the party and I have something special planned for tomorrow, but you will have to stay downstairs while I get things ready" replied Amy getting out of bed and making her way downstairs to answer the door to Leonard and Penny with Archie and Corey

"Hi Aunty Amy" said Archie

"Hello Archie, Marie will be very happy to see you" replied Amy

"What about me? Asked Corey

"Oh sure, of course you as well" said Amy ruffling his hair

"Amy you're not dressed yet? Asked Penny

"No we overslept and were woken by the kids"

"Well we don't need to rush, so go and get ready and we will mind the kids" replied Penny

"Are you sure?

"Yes go on"

Amy went upstairs and found Sheldon still in bed

"Are you not getting up?

"Yes I was just having a moment of peace, join me wont you?

"No, Penny is minding the kids while I get showered and dressed" said Amy going into the en-suite and turning the shower on, she had just taken her nightie off when Sheldon joined her

"It would be a shame to not make the most of this moment" said Sheldon taking his dressing gown off and showing Amy just how much he wanted her

"Well we don't have time for much else than showering but I can promise you tomorrow you will have as much time as you like with me" replied Amy as Sheldon moved her into the shower, then lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist and continued to kiss and fondle her

"You know how much I want you" moaned Sheldon

"Yes I know and I feel the same about you but I promise you the wait will be worth it" replied Amy as Sheldon lowered her back onto the shower floor and started to caress her breasts as he cleaned them

"You always keep your promises so I shall have to believe you" said Sheldon as they finished cleaning each other, got dressed then went downstairs to the kitchen where the children were playing with the dogs and Penny had started breakfast off

"Penny, you didn't have to do that" said Amy

"Its ok, you are hosting a party later, so I thought I would help" replied Penny

"Did you get my text about the plan for the Zoo? Asked Amy making sure the kids were not listening

"Yes and I think they will love it" replied Penny

"Also I was looking on the internet at things to do when we are in London and there is a Safari Park that we could visit, where the enclosures are drive thru and the monkey enclosure is especially good, look here is a video I found" said Amy showing them the monkeys peeling car trim and wing mirrors off all the cars

"That will be expensive to replace on a hire car" commented Leonard

"No its ok we can go on a coach trip, the park is massive with drive thru areas for all the animals and there is a small animal petting area for the kids to enjoy, shall I book it?

"How far from London is it and whats it called? Asked Sheldon

"Its called Longleat Safari Park and it's a couple of hours by coach, we can either stay overnight or come back very late the same day" replied Amy

"Maybe do an overnight then" said Penny

"Ok, I shall book that now" replied Amy retrieving her laptop and making the booking

"Mommy what time is my party? Asked Marie

"4pm and some of your nursery friends will be coming as well and then afterwards, Nanny Barbara will be taking you and Richard to her house until tomorrow afternoon" replied Amy

"Yeah we like Nanny Barbara's house" said Marie clapping her hands

"Can Archie and Corey come? Asked Richard

"Well that depends if Nanny says it's ok and also if Penny and Leonard are ok with it" said Amy

"Its ok with us" said Penny as she served up the breakfast for everybody

An hour later they were in the Zoo, with 4 very excited children

"Mommy can we see the monkeys first? Asked Marie

"Of course and I have organised a special surprise for you and the others" said Amy as she led them to the monkey house and knocked on the staff door where they were let inside

"Hello I am Lizzie I am here to today to guide you, now I understand you are the birthday girl? Asked Lizzie to Marie who suddenly got shy and hid behind Sheldon

"Yes she is" said Amy speaking for her

"Good now we are going to let you feed the monkeys but you will have to do it through the cage bars as you are too young to go inside" said Lizzie

"Can we feed them as well? Asked Archie

"Of course" said Lizzie passing the children pieces of fruit to give the monkeys that were currently chattering loudly and banging on the bars waiting to be fed

Marie gave the monkey nearest to her the fruit and giggled as the monkey grazed her hand taking the food, Archie, Corey and Richard all did the same thing and at the end Lizzie asked if they enjoyed it

"Yes it was fun" said Marie

"Good maybe in the future when you are older, you can become Zoo keepers, you all did very well" replied Lizzie

As they left the monkey house, Sheldon told the children that they were going to the Koala bear enclosure to do the same thing, this brought even more excitement for the children

They took the short walk to the enclosure and knocked on the staff entrance like they did at the monkey enclosure

"Hi I am Danny, there are two koalas currently inside and we will allow you inside with them as long as you are quiet" said Danny leading them in to the enclosure

"Daddy can we touch them? Asked Archie

"I don't know, can we? Asked Leonard to Danny

"Yes if they sit still and hand them the leafs that they like to eat" said Danny handing them leafs and sitting all the kids down on a seating area where the two koalas came down from a branch to take the leafs, one of them sat down next to Marie and put its arm on Marie's arm to balance itself while it took the leaf

"Look mommy it's touching me" squealed Marie in excitement as Amy took pictures and Sheldon videoed everything

"How old is that one? Asked Penny indicating the one touching Marie

"She is 2 years old and the other one is 3" replied Danny

They spent another couple of hours at the Zoo before returning home where Leonard and Sheldon took the dogs out while Amy and Penny prepared for the party, George and Natasha arrived early to help out as well and they had asked people to come for 4pm and at 330, Kelly and Raj arrived with Chandra and Anita, Kelly looked ready to burst at any moment, Howard, Bernadette and the kids also arrived at the same time

"Kelly sit down before you fall down" said Amy helping her to a seat in the lounge

"Thanks, Raj and I have a favour to ask of both of you" replied Kelly rubbing her belly and trying to get comfortable

"Sure anything"

"Penny is going to be my birth partner and as you are closest, would you mind having the children while we are in the hospital?

"Of course we don't mind, we would be delighted to" said Amy

"Even if it's the middle of the night? Asked Raj

"Yes anytime is fine" replied Amy as the doorbell went, Sheldon came into the lounge with her mother

"Hi Nanny" said Marie giving her a hug

"Hello birthday girl, how are you?

"We fed the monkeys and koalas at the Zoo" replied Marie

"Lucky thing" replied Barbara

"Ah Barbara, I know you have Marie and Richard tonight but Archie and Corey have requested that they come with you if that's ok? Asked Penny

"Of course it's ok, I love all the kids like they are my own grandkids" replied Barbara

"Thank you, I will just go and get some overnight clothes ready" said Penny standing up but she was stopped by Leonard

"I will do it, you relax" said Leonard

"Ah thank you, lovely husband" replied Penny giving him a kiss

"Mommy stop that" said Archie making them laugh

"Marie has told us that as well" said Amy

"Well you and Sheldon do spend an awful long time kissing" replied Howard

"We enjoy it, so why not spend a long time doing something you enjoy" replied Sheldon

"Howard you hardly ever kiss me like these two do, does that mean you don't like it? Asked Bernadette

"Of course I do but there is a time and a place" replied Howard glaring at Sheldon

"Don't blame me if you are not satisfied" added Sheldon to Howard's look

"Ok, can you not do this now" said Amy "This is supposed to be a kids birthday party but you two are acting like locker room jocks bragging about your sexual prowess" added Amy

"Yeah sorry about that" said Howard

"Me too"

"Good now perhaps you would like to supervise the children in the pool while I get everybody drinks" said Amy going off to the kitchen, Sheldon followed her

"Are you mad at me?

"No but you don't need to brag, that's not the man I know and love" replied Amy

"I know but I can't help showing off how much I enjoy being married to you and how much I fancy you" said Sheldon cuddling her from behind and kissing her shoulders

"Then I am glad what I have planned for you tomorrow is behind closed doors" said Amy turning round and kissing Sheldon hard on the lips

"Oh you are a tease" moaned Sheldon cuddling her

"I know, now the kids want to go in the pool and they are ready outside waiting" said Amy untangling herself from him

"Id rather be here with you though"

"I know" smiled Amy watching him go and going to the fridge to check on the monkey face cake that she had made especially for Marie

More people turned up and joined the kids in the pool, Kelly came out to the pool house to watch for a while before Raj walked her home and he returned for a bit longer with the kids

"Is Kelly going to be ok on her own? Asked Penny

"Yes, she will call me if she needs me, she's just exhausted, hopefully she will have the baby very soon, I will still come to London with you as that is not until the beginning of April but Kelly may need help with the kids" said Raj

"Well I am here looking after the little ones anyway so two more wont make much difference especially as most of them are at nursery now" said Barbara

"Only if you are sure, thanks" replied Raj

"Talking of nursery's and schools, we have got Rose into Mayfields Junior School and she starts in September" said Bernadette

"Oh that's supposed to be a good school, well done" said Amy

"Yes it's just a shame that she won't have Marie or Archie there until next year" replied Bernadette

"Are any of her nursery friends going with her? Asked Amy

"Yes her friends Poppy and Gina will be in her class so at least she will have people she knows"

"That's good then" replied Amy

The party carried on, Marie was especially excited at her birthday cake and all the presents she had been given and around 9pm, Barbara took the four children off to her own house, Raj also left with Chandra and Anita, as did Howard and Bernadette, Leonard, George and Sheldon had gone to the games room for a few rounds of video games while Penny, Natasha and Amy sat in the lounge drinking wine

"So what are your plans for tomorrow seeing as its child free? Asked Natasha to the both of them

"Well its Saturday so a chance to catch up with paperwork and housework" said Penny

"I have a plan to give Sheldon a romantic day" said Amy going into detail of her plans

"Hmm sounds interesting maybe I should do the same for Leonard" said Penny

"What are you going to do for me? Asked Leonard who had finished the games and now joined Penny on the sofa, Sheldon and George also came in and sat next to their wives

"Oh it's a surprise" said Penny kissing him

"When are you two going on honeymoon? Asked Amy to Natasha and George

"2nd of April coming back on the 10th" replied Natasha

"Alex will be managing the store that week as I will be away in London for some of it" said Penny

"That's helpful then" said Amy

"Yes I will also get in some agency staff to help cover as well"

"Anybody want to play cards? Asked Sheldon

"Sure why not" replied Leonard

_**The next morning **_Sheldon and Amy had breakfast together before Amy suggested Sheldon go and walk the dogs while she organised her plan for the morning, she went up to their room and set about getting ready, she had just finished when she heard Sheldon returning

"Sheldon if you want to come up here, then I am ready, leave the dogs down there" shouted Amy from the top of the stairs and returning to their room

Sheldon arrived in the bedroom to find the curtains closed with romantic music playing and candles lit everywhere and a massage table in the middle of the room with oils on a stand next to it, it was then he noticed Amy with her hair in a ponytail and dressed up in sexy masseuse outfit

"I do believe my wife is looking very foxy in front of me" said Sheldon walked towards her and attempting to kiss her

"Uh uh, no touching" said Amy holding him at arms length

"Why?

"Because I said so, now if you would like me to remove your clothes so you can lie down and I can give you a massage" said Amy

"I can undress myself" said Sheldon

"Really? You wouldn't like me to undress you? Asked Amy running her hands up his chest and down his legs

"Yes of course, I don't think you understand how much power you have over me right now" moaned Sheldon as Amy cupped his arousal through his boxer shorts

"Oh I know" replied Amy taking his tops off and kissing his nipples, Sheldon shivered at her touch as she bent down to take off his shoes then pulled his trousers off but left his boxer shorts on and led him to the table

"Now if you would like to lay down and I shall begin" said Amy

She took some of the oils and rubbing it over Sheldon's shoulders and massaging them, she could hear moans of contentment coming from Sheldon and was turned on herself but wanted to finish the massage, she made her way down his back, continuing to massage him and then avoiding his bottom, she started on his legs, Sheldon was still moaning with he touch when she finished

"Would you like me to massage your face? Asked Amy

"Sure but I think something else needs some massaging" replied Sheldon turning over and sitting up and Amy saw a noticeable bulge in his boxers

"I think we can save the best for last" said Amy getting a different oil and spreading a small amount on Sheldon's face and gently applying pressure to his face, Sheldon now had his eyes shut in contentment and looked like he was having trouble breathing

"Amy you need to stop before I take you to the bed over there and have my way with you" said Sheldon

"Patience my lovely husband" replied Amy as she gave him a little kiss, she wasn't quick enough to move away and Sheldon who was still sitting on the edge of the table wrapped his arms around her and brought her closer to him and kissed her again, Amy gave into the kiss for a few moments before pulling away and continuing with the massage, this time on Sheldon's chest and stomach

"How does that feel? Asked Amy once she was done

"Fantastic, perhaps I could do the same for you? Asked Sheldon

"Sure but I thought you were ready to take me to the bed and ravish me a few minutes ago" said Amy

"Well I want you feel as good as I feel" replied Sheldon standing up and stretching his body

He then undressed Amy and led her to their bed and made her lay down on her stomach, while he sat astride her and using the oils to massage her shoulders, he realised he was only prolonging his own desire for her as his erection twitched against Amy's back, he continued with the massage though and once the massage was down, they cleaned each other of the oils in the shower before they fulfilled their desire for each other in the bedroom

"Feel free to surprise me like that again" said Sheldon afterwards

"Oh I plan to" replied Amy as they lay together cuddling and kissing in bed after their coitus encounter

_**A week later on Saturday**_** at 3am **Raj had dropped Chandra and Anita round while he and Penny took Kelly to the hospital as she gave birth to baby Yasmin, she was the biggest of the three babies they had and weighed in at 9lbs, they returned back to Sheldon and Amy's home in the early afternoon to show off the new arrival, Yasmin was greeted enthusiastically by Chandra, not so much Anita who was more interested in playing with the dogs

"Thanks for looking after Chandra and Anita" said Kelly to Amy and Sheldon

"Hey it wasn't a problem, they are good kids, Yasmin looks just like you" said Amy

"Yes she's definitely more like me than Anita is" replied Kelly

"Next time we really are going to wait a while because having 3 kids under three is a handful" said Raj

"Are we having more? Asked Kelly in surprise

"Maybe in a few years" said Raj

"Sounds similar to what Leonard said to me after I gave birth" said Penny

"Sheldon said something similar after I had Marie" added Amy

"Men eh!, if they had to give birth they wouldn't be saying that" said Bernadette

"Hey that's not fair" said Raj

"Oh we are only joking" said Amy

_**3 weeks later **_Penny and Raj had been to London for a few days to oversee the start of the collection and offer personal assistance to the customers, Raj had again paid for advertising and the collection sold very well, with help from Belinda they had found a local seamstress and materials company in the London area and had decided it would be cost effective to use them, rather than have the clothes flown over and they stayed with Belinda and her Husband for the three days they were there

During the 3rd week of April Amy and Sheldon also discovered that their plan to get pregnant had worked, Amy hadn't had a cycle since coming off the pill and had also spent a few mornings throwing up

"We still have to get it confirmed by the doctor but I am very happy" said Amy

"As am I" replied Sheldon giving her a hug and kiss

"I think we should keep it to ourselves for now though" replied Amy

"That works for me" replied Sheldon

_**Next chapter up soon**_


	45. Chapter 45

On May 24th Penny held a party for Corey's 2nd birthday at her house, her parents had come for a few days holiday as well and Leonard was cooking all the BBQ food and once that was done everybody sat down by the pool to eat and were chatting

"Sheldon and I have some news" said Amy who had been holding Yasmin who was now 2 months old and passed her back to Kelly

"What's that? Asked Penny

"We are 10 weeks pregnant" replied Amy patting her tiny bump

"Looks like we are going to be baby buddies after all" said Penny who looked very happy and rubbed her belly also

"Really? How far gone are you? Asked Amy jumping up to her hug her

"Same as you, we have our 12 week scan on the 12th of June" replied Penny

"That's funny because so do we, ours is at 330pm" replied Sheldon

"Then we will be following you because ours is at 345" replied Penny

"Yeah and ours will be at 4pm" said Natasha, everybody turned to look at her and George in surprise as she lifted her baggy top to reveal a bump that was slightly bigger than Penny and Amy's

"Natasha! I'm so happy for you both" cried Penny hugging her sister and then George, Amy and Sheldon did the same thing

"Thanks, George and I were talking about it for a while and kind of decided that we wanted kids straight away, we can still save for a house but we want our kids to grow up close in ages to all of yours and we are already almost 5 years behind with Rose" said Natasha

"Well as I have the first appointment and you two are following then I will invite you to see my scan if you both like? Asked Amy

"Sure, then you can see mine" said Penny

"And mine" replied Natasha who looked over at her mum to see she was in tears

"What's wrong mom? Asked Penny

"Oh I am just very happy that I will be getting two more grandchildren and at Christmas it seems" replied Hannah

"Have you got any names yet? Asked Wyatt to Penny

"Yes if it's a girl then we want to call her Holly and if it's a boy then Alfie" replied Penny

"What about you Natasha? Asked Hannah

"Oh it's still something we are thinking about, nothing has been decided for definite yet, Amy have you any names?

"Yes, Daniel for a boy and we like Paige and Olivia for girls names" replied Amy

"What are we going to do about birthing partners, I know that pregnant ladies who are quite far gone are not allowed to be birthing partners in case of risk of premature labour" said Penny

"I will be there for you both" said Hannah

"Yes and Amy if you want me at yours then I can be" said Barbara

"Thanks mom, this will be our last one, so I would be delighted for you to join me" replied Amy

"Really? Asked Penny

"Yes, I will be 38 this year and if I wait another two years then I will be 40 and in any case we always said that three is our limit" replied Amy as Marie clambered on to her lap for a cuddle

"Mommy are you having a baby?

"Yes and also so are Penny and Natasha" replied Amy

"Is it moving yet?

"No it's still very small, in a couple of months you might be able to feel it" replied Amy

"Like me and Archie did with Kelly? Asked Marie

"Yes"

"What I would like to know is how none of you noticed each other getting bigger, now that you have said you are all pregnant, you can see that you all have little bumps" said Hannah

"Well I always wear a couple of layers" said Amy

"I've been wearing looser tops" said Natasha

"Same here" replied Penny

"Are you still going to London? Asked Alex

"Yes it's not a problem until the last 3 months and in September I have to go to Harvard so I will be at the limit there as it is" replied Amy

"We are still coming as well" said Penny

_**Two weeks later **_the three couples went to the local hospital and went to the reception area to announce they were there for their appointments

"Hi I am Amy Cooper for my 330 appointment, my two friends here have appointments right after me and we have decided to watch each others scans if that's ok? Asked Amy

"Yes of course, if I can just take their names and if you would like to take a seat and the doctor will be with you shortly"

"Penny Hofstadter and Natasha Cooper" said Amy

They were called in a few minutes later and Amy set herself down on the bed, it was the same Doctor that Amy saw in her first pregnancy

"Now then Mrs Cooper I have your records here, you had an emergency caesarean with your 2nd baby, how was the recovery with that?

"Oh it was fine, am just looking forward to this one now" replied Amy

"Good, now l will just run the pointer over your belly here" said the doctor spreading gel over her tummy, the doctor looked intensely at the screen for a few moments checking everything over and then turned the volume up

"OK as you can hear the baby is fine, growing healthily and I can confirm that you are 12 weeks pregnant, did you want to know the sex?

"Yes please" said Amy and Sheldon together

"Ok, you are having a boy, congratulations"

"Thank you" replied Amy as Sheldon gave her a kiss and hug

Next up was Penny, the doctor went through the same thing and announced that the baby was growing at the normal rate and asked the same question of knowing the sex

"Yes we want to know" said Penny

"Ok you are having a girl" said the Doctor

"Yes! Said Penny fist pumping the air and hugging Leonard

"I take it you wanted a girl then? Asked the doctor in amusement

"Yes we have two boys but to have a girl will be amazing" replied Penny

Natasha was next and the doctor peered at the screen for a long time checking things before speaking

"Is there a history of twins in your families? Asked the doctor

"Sheldon is a twin and he's my brother" said George who suddenly looked a bit scared

"There isn't any in ours is there? Asked Natasha to Penny

"No but I think there is about to be"

"That's correct, I can confirm you are having twins, if you look on the screen here, the other one is just hidden behind the one at the front" said the doctor turning up the volume again and two heartbeats could be heard

"Oh my goodness, how am I going to cope with twins" fretted Natasha whose face had gone white with shock

"Nat, you are great with all the kids, you will be fine" said Penny

"I know this is a surprise but did you want to know the sexes? I wasn't able to see with the 2nd baby but it has just moved and I can now see" said the doctor

"Yes go on then" replied Natasha after a quick look with George

"Ok, the one at the front is a boy and the one behind is a girl"

"No wonder I am bigger size wise for the same time period as you two" said Natasha

"There isn't that much difference though Natasha" said Amy

"For the record I would say all three of you are due around the 10th of December, also as you have twins, it's recommended that we scan you every month to check the growth because sometimes one will grow bigger than the other one" said the Doctor printing out future appointments for the three of them

They all thanked the Doctor and once they were back home, Penny collected her laptop and they all went to Sheldon and Amy's house to call Mary and Hannah simultaneously on Skype

"Hi Mom" said Sheldon and George together

"Hello what's going on?

"Hang on we are just waiting for Hannah to answer her Skype then we can tell you all together" replied Sheldon

Hannah answered and found herself staring a still shocked looking Natasha and immediately feared the worst

"Natasha what's wrong? Asked Hannah

"Nothing much, we just wanted to let you know George and I are having twins" replied Natasha to the two of them

"That's great news, do you know the sexes yet? Asked Hannah

"Congratulations darlin, I can tell you now it was a doddle with my two" said Mary

"Thanks, yes we are having a boy and a girl"

"I'm having a girl" said Penny

"We are having a boy" added Amy

"Have you all chosen names yet? Asked Mary

"Yes, we are calling our one Daniel" replied Sheldon

"Ours is going to be called Holly" replied Penny

"George and I haven't decided properly yet but it's likely the boy will be called Toby and for the girl maybe one of Abbey or Grace" replied Natasha

"Shelley did you know that your Meemaws grandfather was called Daniel? Asked Mary

"No, she has never spoken about him" replied Sheldon

"Right well I will be here at Christmas anyway with Meemaw and Missy and it looks like it will be a busy one with all the babies" said Mary

"Natasha how are you feeling about having twins? Asked Hannah

"Well I am still very shocked but we will just have to get on with it" replied Natasha

"I have to tell you now and this will come as a shock but when I was pregnant with George it appears I started off with twins but I lost one early on and I nearly lost George but luckily that proved not to the be the case" said Mary

"How come you didn't tell me this before? Asked George

"Because back then there was no such thing as scans, it was only because I had a heavy bleed and passed a very small clot, that the doctors said so, I was no more than 3 months at the time, I'm sorry I didn't tell you" replied Mary

"Oh it's ok but at least it explains why we are having twins" said George

A while later, the Skype calls ended and the three couples decided to go and sit by the pool, Sheldon was attempting to make George and Natasha feel better about having twins

"You know because they are different sexes they won't be as competitive as if you had same sex twins" said Sheldon

"Did your mom have you and Missy naturally? Asked Natasha

"Yes and unless there are problems, you will have your two naturally as well" replied Sheldon who was sitting with Amy and patting her bump

"I think we need to call a meeting with Alex and Kelly" said Penny

"Why? Asked Natasha

"Because both of us are going to unavailable for a while once we have had the babies and in your case for some time before and I will need them both to work full time or more days in Kelly's case as I think she will be returning to work in September" said Penny

"You could also hire agency staff as well" said Natasha

"Yes I will" said Penny sending texts to Kelly and Alex, both of whom were at home, they showed up within a few minutes, Raj also came Anita and Yasmin, Chandra was at nursery

"Hey how did the scans go? Asked Kelly

"Well one of us is having twins" said Amy looking to Natasha

"Wow that's great" said Kelly

"It's still something we are getting used to" said Natasha

"Yes, the reason I asked you both here is that Alex I will need you to work full time during the week as the women's floor manager from about November to February and Kelly as the weekend manager for the same time"

"Yes sure that's fine" said Alex

"Weekends are fine because Raj can look after the kids" said Kelly

"Good because I might ask you to work a few week days as well, just depends, also Alex I will pass on my clients to you as well for that time frame" said Penny

"So did you find out what you are all having? Asked Raj

"Boy and a girl" said Natasha

"Girl for me" said Penny

"Boy for us, which I think Marie will be very disappointed about as she wants a sister but at least she will have two girl cousins" said Amy

"George and I have a house to view tonight, we can't afford the deposit just yet but it will give us an idea of what we are looking for" said Natasha

"How much deposit do you have at the moment? Asked Penny

"Well we are about $10,000 short which is why it will take us a while to save" replied Natasha, she noticed Penny opening her laptop to her bank account

"Pass me your bank details and I will gift you the money" said Penny

"Penny, we can't let you do that" said George

"Of course you can, look think of it as this year's bonus" replied Penny

"Seeing as we are doing this, for my brother and his wife, we can give you $5000 towards it as well" said Sheldon after a quick whispering conversation with Amy

"But how can we possibly repay you, this is very generous" said George speaking for Natasha who was currently speechless

"The apartment won't be big enough for twins, so please just take the money" said Sheldon

"You guys are great, thank you" said George as Sheldon used the laptop after Penny to transfer the money over

"Now you can buy the house, where is it by the way? Asked Amy

"Its on Fair Oaks Avenue and it has 4 bedrooms and a large garden" replied Natasha who had regained the power of speech and had tears running down her face

"Why are you crying? Asked Penny

"Because you are both so generous and I don't know how we are going to thank you for this" replied Natasha

"You don't need to thank us, you have helped us out with looking after the kids and dogs, if you want to thank us then have a house warming party, we will all enjoy that immensely" replied Amy

"Except we wont be able to have a drink" said Penny

"Oh yeah but we can have fun without alcohol" said Amy

"At least Fair Oaks Avenue is only round the corner, not too far away" said Penny

"Yes that's partly why we thought it would be a good place to buy, did you want to come with us to the viewing?

"No I think that's best left to you and George but we can see it afterwards, you both need to decide for yourselves if you want it and it wont help with us being there" said Penny

"Ok it's very pretty though, it has an enclosed driveway and gates like these all have, no pool though but that's ok and it has one garage but the gates have security magnets on them which helps" said Natasha

Later on that evening George and Natasha had viewed the house and after talking to the realtor discovered the house had been on the market for 2 days and they were the first viewers, they made a bit which was accepted immediately and they were able to transfer the deposit over, the previous owners were waiting to move into another property and would be leaving at the end of June which was only 2 weeks to wait, they went back to Sheldon and Amy's house afterwards and text Leonard and Penny to meet them there

"Well we got the house, we will be able to move in at the end of the month" said George

"Congratulations" said Amy

"Did you tell Marie she won't be getting a sister? Asked Natasha

"Yes, she said she was ok with it, apparently she is waiting for the one after" replied Amy

"But your not having anymore though" said Penny

"I know that but maybe in time she will forget about it, not sure I will want another baby after this one" said Amy

"Sounds like you are having doubts, when the other week you said this was the last one" said Natasha

"I know my mind is mixed up at the moment but I am sure that will pass"

"Do you need any help with the moving? Asked Sheldon

"Yes although there isn't an awful lot to do, the owners are leaving some furniture behind so that helps" replied George

"Well we can lift a few boxes for you and drive stuff round" said Amy

"Amy you won't be carrying anything heavy, if I had my way I would keep you at home until after the baby has been born" said Sheldon

"I will be ok and if it helps us ladies that are pregnant will stick to organising the house warming party instead then" said Amy

"Much better idea" replied Sheldon

"That goes for you as well Penny" said Leonard

"Looks like our husbands are turning very protective" said Amy

"Yes but I like being protected sometimes" said Penny

"Are you naming your baby Holly because it's going to be born at Christmas? Asked Natasha

"No but at least it will go with the season" replied Penny

"By the way Alex text earlier and said her aunts house is free next weekend if we want to go" said Amy

"All of us? It might be a squeeze, but that will make it fun" said Penny

"It has 6 bedrooms enough for all the couples and we can use one of the rooms for the older children" suggested Amy

"Yeah we have foldaway camp beds that the kids can use and they will love the sea" said Penny

"Have either of you had any sickness or cravings yet? Asked Natasha

"I've had sickness and a liking for lots of toast but nothing much else" said Amy

"Only sickness" said Penny

"So it's normal to be hungry all the time then during pregnancy? Asked Natasha again

"Yes and especially as you are eating for three, we haven't eat yet, perhaps we could order Chinese for everybody" said Amy

"Yeah go then, get me the roast duck and noodles and duck pancakes" said Natasha

"You really are hungry" laughed Amy going to the kitchen to find the takeaway menu

"Just going to make everybody a drink" said Sheldon entering the kitchen shortly afterwards

"Can you make me a hot chocolate please" asked Amy

"I think we used the last of it yesterday" said Sheldon

"Oh" replied Amy, Sheldon hated the way she replied like it was the worst thing ever

"But not to worry, I shall go to the shop and get some" said Sheldon

"Thank you, come here first though" said Amy as Sheldon walked towards her outstretched arms for a hug and Amy buried her head in Sheldon's chest

"You ok? Queried Sheldon

"Yep, just happy to be here with you" said Amy looking up at him, they had a little eye coitus moment before Sheldon leaned in for a kiss

"I won't be long" said Sheldon and as he left, Amy rang the takeaway shop and made the drinks for everybody and Sheldon returned a few minutes later with the cocoa and a large bag that had a box in it

"What's in the box? Asked Penny

"Its donuts for all the pregnant ladies, I just thought you may need a sugar hit" replied Sheldon though before he could finish speaking the donuts were eagerly taken by the ladies

"Sheldon you make a perfect husband" said Amy kissing him with sugary lips

"Thank you and you taste delightful" replied Sheldon kissing her again and not caring that other people were in the room

Two weeks later, Natasha and George moved into their new house, Mary and Missy arrived as did Hannah and Wyatt for very short breaks and they had help from everybody moving and they both got each other Border Terrier puppies as housewarming gifts from the Pasadena Humane Society, both the puppies had been vaccinated and micro chipped as well as neutered and were introduced to the other dogs and once again there was no fighting, just playing even though Daisy and Duke were giants compared to the puppies

The three pregnant ladies had to contend with Non Alcoholic wine for the party and Natasha and George made a toast at the end of the party

"Without our families help, we would have had to wait another 2 years before we could of bought this house, so we would like to acknowledge and thank them for everything" said George

"To families and the babies to come" said Natasha raising her glass

_**Next chapter up in a few days**_


	46. Chapter 46

_**One month later**_

There had been a collective decision to celebrate Rose's 5th birthday and Richard and Rebecca's 3rd birthday together and the group were doing this by taking advantage of using Alex's aunts beach house, they were leaving on the Friday night and returning Sunday afternoon, Alex was supposed to be working but Penny had swapped her shifts around so she was able to come and everybody brought their dogs along, except for Bernadette and Howard who had left theirs with her parents, the children were going to be all in one room as there was a double bed and Penny had brought some camp beds and blankets for the kids to sleep on, if there wasn't enough space in the bed

The group arrived together shortly after 6pm, they went to the same rooms they had before and set about un packing whilst the kids played in the garden with the dogs, Natasha and George arrived just after 7pm with their border terriers, Murphy and Brandy, Natasha had her 2nd scan that day

"How did the scan go? Asked Penny once everybody was in the lounge eating Pizza

"Yes everything is fine, the boy is growing bigger than the girl but there is only a tiny amount in difference" replied Natasha

"We have also changed our minds on the girl name" said George

"Oh what have you decided to call her? Asked Amy

"We like Ellie and we are keeping the name Toby" replied Natasha

"You know all three of you still look very similar in size, stand up a moment" said Bernadette

The three girls stood up and as Natasha was taller than Penny, it showed that despite having twins she was able to distribute the bump more compared to Amy who was quite short and showed more

"Very similar I agree" commented Kelly as the girls sat back down

"Penny did you tell Claire you are pregnant? Asked Amy

"Yes and she said she would let the advertising agency know and see whether they would change the script to show me as pregnant, because I will be only a few weeks from giving birth when the advert is filmed, also next week I have a 2 day presenting slot on the HSN again" replied Penny

"Oh that's good, but wouldn't you want to do more presenting? Asked Natasha

"I would love to but I just don't have the time, I have clients to see, family to look after and looking after the business, two days every now and again is fine, I no longer have this huge urge to act full time" replied Penny

"Mommy can we build sandcastles? Asked Marie who was sitting on the floor playing lego with Archie and Richard while Rose and Rebecca played with their dolls and tried to stop Cassie from eating them

"Not now, it's starting to get dark but definitely in the morning" replied Amy

"Can we go in the sea with Daisy and Duke? Asked Richard

"Yes I am sure that will be ok" replied Amy, calling Cassie to her side and making her lay down next to her

"You know it's not dark yet, why don't we just take them out for a bit" said Penny

"Yeah" shouted all the kids in reply

"Also the dogs look like they could do with a little run" added Amy

The entire group left the beach house with assorted kids and dogs, the dogs went straight to the sea, Marie and Archie went to join them until they realised how cold the sea was and backed out, they returned back to the house 15 minutes later to finish the pizzas and settle the kids down ready for bed

"The doctor also thinks that I should be able to carry the twins full term as well and apparently giving birth to twins isn't much different to having one" said Natasha

"Giving birth can be painful but it's worth the pain when you get a baby at the end of it" said Kelly

"After missing out with Richard, I am really looking forward to giving birth naturally" said Amy

"Also the doctor advised that she stop work once it becomes too much for her but Natasha is very stubborn" added George

"I think the doctor is right and I think that October is probably the latest you can work till, you will get maternity pay so don't worry about that" said Penny

"Do I get paternity leave? Asked George

"Yes you get 3 months month full pay" replied Penny and Raj together

"I'm just feeling nervous about how I am going to handle bringing up two babies together" said Natasha

"You won't be alone, you have me and you have our family and friends who will help" said George

"You know Natasha, Yasmin is still young, would you like to take her overnight next weekend? Just to see how you cope with her? You are already great with all the other children" said Kelly

"Oh I do like that idea, thanks" said Natasha as Marie climbed onto Natasha's lap and demanded a cuddle

"Tasha, did you know my daddy is a twin? Asked Marie

"Yes and do you know how twins are made? Asked Natasha

"It's when the baby egg breaks apart" replied Marie

"Where did you learn that? Asked Amy

"It was in one of your books" replied Marie in such a way as if to say it was obvious

"Clever girl" commented Sheldon

"Daddy can you read us all a story before bed? Asked Marie as she climbed off Natasha and over Amy to reach him

"Yes but be careful when you are doing that, you will wake the babies up" said Sheldon

"What if they are already awake? Asked Marie

"Then you will have given them a very big surprise by climbing over Natasha and Amy like that" replied Sheldon

The kids went off to bed shortly afterwards and even though Sheldon read to them all, they could be heard giggling and talking to each other once he came back downstairs

"I think its best to leave them, the later they fall asleep the later they wake up hopefully" said Bernadette who had left David in his baby seat next to her, at 10 months old he was becoming very stubborn about not sleeping at the time his parents wanted to put him to bed

The group spent the remainder of the evening chatting and playing card games before retiring to bed

During the night, Sheldon was woken by Amy thrashing about in bed, this was joined by Amy screaming which woke the whole house, he struggled to calm her down in her unconscious state, Penny knocked on the door and came in

"Sheldon do you want me to take over? Asked Penny seeing that Sheldon was struggling

"No you are pregnant as well and you can see how she is lashing out" replied Sheldon as Amy finally calmed down and came to, Sheldon lay down with her stroking her hair while Penny sat on the bed holding her hand

"Sorry if I woke you" said Amy with tears streaming down her face

"I take it that was a night terror? You haven't had one for a long time" said Sheldon

"Yes and it was more than just a night terror, can we go downstairs I feel kind of enclosed in here" said Amy getting out of bed and leaving the room.

She was followed by Sheldon and Penny, Kelly was in the lounge feeding Yasmin, the rest of the children had not woken but the adults were concerned and came downstairs as well

"Sorry if I woke you all, thanks" said Amy as Penny passed her some tissues, Amy tried to wipe the tears away but that was impossible when they were streaming out of her

"Do you want a drink? Asked Natasha

"Yes hot milk please"

"What happened Amy? What was the dream about? Asked Sheldon again leading her to the sofa and sitting down with her and cuddling her, Daisy who always sensed when somebody was upset came and sat in front of them resting her head on Amy's knees, Amy ruffled her fur and stroked her ears for a few moments before she answered

"It was awful, I had this dream that what happened with Richard's birth happened again with Daniel and this time, I was being held down while my stomach was cut open and I could feel everything, then before I could even see the baby's face he was taken away from me and I guess that's when I was thrashing and screaming" said Amy

"Amy you poor thing" said Penny taking her hand and holding it again

"You know that won't happen though" said Sheldon

"I know but all I can remember from Richards birth is the pain I was getting from the appendix and the recovery afterwards, the first day was pretty much a daze" replied Amy

"Oh come here" said Sheldon making Amy sit on his lap while he cuddled and comforted her as Amy couldn't stop the tears falling

"Here's your milk Amy" said Natasha

"Thank you, sorry again for waking you" said Amy again as Sheldon rubbed her little baby bump

"Don't worry about it, we will leave you be now and go back to bed" said Penny ushering the others upstairs

"Kelly do you mind if I hold Yasmin for a few minutes? Asked Amy noticing that Kelly had stopped feeding her

"Sure, you stay there and I will bring her to you" said Kelly getting up and placing the baby in Amy's arms, it seemed to calm Amy down and the tears soon stopped but then George came down with Marie in his arms who had woken up

"Mommy I heard you screaming" said Marie and climbing onto the sofa where Sheldon cuddled her with his free arm

"Yes, I had a bad dream but I am ok now, Uncle George will take you back to bed and tomorrow we can all go to the beach and play in the sea again, ok?" said Amy

"Ok Mommy, can I kiss Yasmin?

"Of course" replied Amy leaning forward so Marie could do just that and then George took her back upstairs, Amy gazed down at Yasmin who was now sleeping

"She's perfect" commented Amy as Kelly sat on the sofa opposite smiling at the scene

"Just think Amy in a few months, we will have another baby and this time the birth will be perfect and everything will be ok" said Sheldon

"I know, I think I will take the milk upstairs with me" said Amy getting off Sheldon's lap and passing Yasmin back to Kelly

Once they were back in bed, Sheldon and Amy cuddled together, Sheldon couldn't stop Amy's night terrors but he wanted to protect Amy as much as he could

"Thank you for holding me down and trying to stop me thrashing about, I hope the baby is ok after that" said Amy

"I'm sure he will be, he is still very small remember" replied Sheldon leaning over to kiss Amy's cheek but she turned her head so he got her lips, the kiss turned into a passionate make out session lasting quite a long time

"I wish we could do more, but if they heard me screaming with night terrors, who knows what they will think when they hear us yelling in passion for each other" said Amy

"Well for now I hope you are feeling better about things, I think the kids will be awake early in the morning, so we better get some sleep" said Sheldon

"Your right" replied Amy, she snuggled back into Sheldon's arms, they had another kissing session before they dropped off to sleep

Amy woke up before everybody else in the morning and making sure she didn't disturb Sheldon, she threw on some clothes and she went downstairs, she let the dogs in the garden and set about making tea, coffee and breakfast for everybody, the kids came down first and Amy put the TV on to entertain them and gave them all some cereal and juice, then the remaining houseguests were woken by the smell of bacon and sausages coming from the kitchen and soon they made their way into the kitchen

"Morning everybody, as a sorry for scaring everybody during the night, I am cooking breakfast for everybody" said Amy

"It's not a problem Amy as long as you are ok now" said Bernadette

"Yes I realise now that it was just a very bad dream and that wont happen in real life" replied Amy turning back to check on the frying sausages, she was greeted by Sheldon cuddling her from behind with his arms around her waist and kissing her neck

"Morning Amy" said Sheldon

"Morning to you back" replied Amy turning round so she could greet him properly with a proper kiss

"Lovebirds, did you want a hand with the food? Asked Penny

"No its ok I have everything under control" replied Amy smiling at her bestie

"Oohh is it possible to feel baby movement at 16 weeks? Asked Natasha who was sitting with George on the couch and clutching her belly

"Yes, what does it feel like? Asked Amy

"Kind of like a fluttering, definitely not kicking though" said Natasha

"Ok, you will probably feel them kicking and moving more later in the pregnancy but even so at 16 weeks the babies are around 4 and a half inches" replied Amy

"Tasha can we feel the baby? Asked Rose

"Sure but I don't know if you will feel anything" replied Natasha as Rose, Archie and Marie came and put their hands on her belly

"Can you feel it? Asked Penny

"No mommy" replied Archie coming over to her and putting his head on her belly, soon the kids got bored and went back to watching TV

Amy finished making the breakfast and with help from Sheldon served it up to everybody and afterwards while everybody was getting the children ready in swimsuits, Amy washed up with Sheldon helping her by drying up, while George and Natasha got Marie and Richard ready

"You know Amy while everybody is upstairs, there is something we can do without being interrupted" said Sheldon pressing up against her and kissing her

"If we get time alone we can make out in the sea as well" replied Amy kissing him back as he fondled her breasts

"Do you remember our naughty night last time? Asked Sheldon

"You mean when we had beach coitus? Of course, although it may not be appropriate this time" said Amy

"Nonsense we can go for a moonlight walk along the beach to get privacy, I'm not saying we have to have coitus but definitely alone time" replied Sheldon he was still pressed up against her as they kissed again, they were then interrupted by Marie and Archie running down the stairs in their swim wear with Penny

"Daddy put Mommy down, can we go to the beach now? Asked Marie

"Yes in a minute when everybody is ready, Amy can you help me get the windbreakers from the garage" asked Sheldon

"Of course" replied Amy following him, Sheldon ushered her in and locked the door

"This way nobody can disturb us" said Sheldon on Amy's questioning look

"Oh and what is it you would like to do? Asked Amy

"Just a few minutes alone with you would be good for now" replied Sheldon walking Amy back up against the door and pressing up against her and kissing her again, Amy could feel his arousal pressing against her, she reached into his pants and pumped his erection, Sheldon was moaning lustily and as he did this, he gently bit into her neck

"Sheldon are you done in there? Called Penny from the other side of the door

"Damn" whispered Sheldon into Amy's ear

"Yes hang on we will be just a minute" called Amy as she and Sheldon set about getting the windbreakers and gathering up the sun lounger chairs.

Sheldon and Amy quickly went up to change and returned as everybody was ready to go out, they put the dogs on the extension leads and walked with them, luckily the beach was empty, it was a very hot day so all the children were smothered in sun cream as were the adults

"Mommy can we go in the sea now? Asked Marie

"Yes but don't go too far out, stay where I can see you" replied Amy

"You're not going in with her? Asked Sheldon

"Sheldon she's very sensible and she listens" replied Amy watching Marie paddle in the shallows with Rose, Rebecca,, Archie, Richard, Corey and Chandra while the adults set about constructing the windbreaker and letting the dogs have a runabout in the sand, Kelly then stayed with Yasmin and David while the rest of them all went into the sea with the children

"Mommy can we swim far out? Asked Marie

"Not too far out, you are still small remember but I will hold onto you" replied Amy walking further into the sea with her until they got to a point where it was deep enough for Amy to swim

"Mommy can I swim between you and daddy? Asked Marie again

"Of course, you know how to swim and Daddy is right here but he can move further back if you like" replied Amy

"Yes Daddy move back" said Marie, Sheldon moved about 10 feet away and watched while Marie splashed and swam towards him, it was at this point that Daisy joined them in the sea, chasing a bird that was resting on the sand near by, once she spotted Amy, she doggy paddled out to her, this excited the children as well until Daisy decided to carry on further out, George set off after her and managed to catch her, bringing her back to the windbreaker and tying her lead around the pole securely so she couldn't escape again

After a while the kids got bored of swimming and started digging holes, Amy checked that Marie and Richard were being watched by others then she and Sheldon went back into the water to swim on their own away from everybody else

"You know I feel really big at the moment and I am very conscious of exposing my body to everybody" said Amy

"Amy you are pregnant and you are not that big and anyway you should embrace it" replied Sheldon cuddling up to her and kissing her, Amy put her arms around Sheldon's neck and they wrapped their legs around each other and carried on kissing and rocking against each other, creating little waves with their movements

"You always say the right thing" replied Amy a few minutes later, checking behind her that nobody could see what she was doing, she reached into his swim shorts for his erection and started to pump it, Sheldon was moaning into her neck and kissing her hungrily while she did this

"Amy I need to be inside you now" said Sheldon

"While we are in the sea? Asked Amy

"Yes we can manage it" replied Sheldon pulling his shorts down, Amy did the same with her bikini bottoms and Sheldon lifted her slightly, Amy wrapped her legs around his waist and he gently entered her, thrusting into and teasing her now throbbing clit, the thought of being caught was making them both horny and they both orgasmed within seconds of each other, they kissed and cuddled again for a few minutes before retrieving their swimwear and swimming back to the group

"You two went for a long swim" said Penny when they came back to the sand

"Yes I fancied a bit of exercise and Sheldon wanted to make sure I didn't over exert myself" replied Amy sitting down on the large towel that Sheldon was spreading out on the floor

"Is that what they call it" replied Penny smirking at her

"Daddy can you help us build a sandcastle" called Marie

"Yes ok" replied Sheldon he was laying on the towel with Amy, so gave her a quick kiss and went over to the kids and with Leonard's help, they set about making a castle and a little fort

"So what did you and Sheldon do? Asked Penny

"We went for a very long swim" replied Amy

"Just swimming or more? Asked Penny again

"I told you just swimming" replied Amy as she dried herself off and had a swig of her water

"I felt the baby move a little while ago" said Penny

"Oh that's good" replied Amy

"Yeah although it was more like what Natasha had and like a light fluttering movement" replied Penny

"I'm feeling enormous at the moment but Sheldon assures me that I am being silly" said Amy

"Well all three of us are pregnant so it's only normal to be big Amy" replied Natasha

"Yeah I know, I just feel conscious of it" said Amy

"I wouldn't worry about it, you don't know any of the people on the beach and it's unlikely we will see them again for any embarrassment to ensue" replied Penny

"George and I were talking last night and we were wondering if you minded us joining you on your holiday to London? Asked Natasha

"Nat of course you can come with us" replied Penny

"The more the merrier" replied Amy

"Thank you" replied Natasha, she just happened to have her laptop open and passed it to Amy to find the correct details of where they were staying

"My mom will stay at our house and look after all the dogs, so you just need to bring yours round and they will be fine" continued Amy

"Only two weeks away now" said Penny

"I know, I am excited but I know Sheldon hates flying so 10 hours on a plane with him and two kids will be exhausting I think" replied Amy

"Also as George and I are coming, we also talked of taking the kids for one or two nights or afternoons, so you can have couple time" said Natasha

"That's very thoughtful, we shall do the same for you when yours are born" replied Amy

"And us" added Penny

The group spent the rest of the morning sunbathing and playing with the kids, then at lunchtime, Amy, Natasha and Penny returned back to the house to cook lunch for everybody and to get out of the heat, they brought the dogs in as well, then Penny had a video call from Belinda while she was in the house

"Hi Belinda"

"Hi Penny, I have some good news for you, it is a big order from a customer that requires 35 silk dresses in assorted colours, I can send you an email with the details but I have told them they may have to wait a few weeks" said Belinda

"Oh that's great news, I will let the seamstress company know" replied Penny

"How's the pregnancy going?

"Very well, I am in Malibu for the weekend with my friends and family, the kids are on the beach at the moment" replied Penny

"Are you going to give a discount on the dresses as they are buying so many? Asked Belinda

"Yes probably, maybe 15% off is a good deal" replied Penny

"I agree, now I shall let you go and I shall see you in a few weeks as you are coming to London" said Belinda

"Ok see you soon" replied Penny ending the call

"That's good news Penny" said Natasha

"Yes, although I wonder why they need 35 dresses" pondered Penny, she went outside to call everybody in for lunch

The rest of the weekend was spent on the beach and going to Santa Monica to the amusement parks with the kids and on Monday Amy had an important early morning work meeting, where she found that she would be getting a large pay rise for her head of addiction studies position and extra funding for her a new addiction study that she and Dr Carter were currently in talks about, She had also been granted her request of 5 months maternity leave with full pay.

_**Next chapter will be up in a few days **_


	47. Chapter 47

_**Cheers for reviews, follows and favourites, they are all appreciated**_

_**Two weeks later**_

It was the day before the holiday to London and Amy and Sheldon were holding a get together for their friends, it was also going to be Archie's 4th birthday while they were away so that was included, Amy had come home from work and gone straight out again with Penny leaving Barbara mystified as to where they had gone, Sheldon and Leonard were not being very forthcoming on where they were either

"What time is your flight tomorrow? Asked Raj to Sheldon

"Not until 8:45pm, that way we land around 3pm the day after London time and I think we will just about manage to stay awake due to the time difference for a few hours before crashing out" replied Sheldon

"Where are Amy and Penny anyway? Asked Raj again

"Can't tell you that, its top secret" replied Leonard

"Daddy can we go in the pool? Asked Marie

"Yes of course, we will be out in a minute, just waiting for mommy to come home" replied Sheldon

"Why can't we go in now? Asked Marie quite reasonably

"Because I need to be here when Mommy gets back and I might not hear her if I am in the garden"

"Oh, Daddy can I have a cuddle? Asked Marie

"Of course, you are a very cuddly person" replied Sheldon as Marie climbed onto his lap and rested her head on his chest

"My turn" said Richard trying to pull Marie down, this resulted in a few slaps from both of them

"Richard wait a few minutes please and then you can have a go" scolded Sheldon

"Not fair" replied Richard making a sulky face and folding his arms before running out of the room and up the stairs very loudly

"Do you want me to go after him? Asked Natasha

"No its ok, let him sulk for a few minutes, he will be back down soon" replied Sheldon as Marie got down from him and started to play with Rose and Archie

"Has anybody noticed that Marie is now taller than Rose, despite Rose being 7 months older? Asked Alex

"Well having a father who is 6'2 probably helps" replied Sheldon as his phone started to ring, he answered it and after a mumbled conversation asked Barbara to follow him

"Why? Where are we going?

"Just come with me and you will see, Leonard are you coming? Asked Sheldon

"Yes of course" replied Leonard following them outside where Penny and Amy had just pulled up, the kids had followed them out as well as the rest of the adults

"This is for you" said Sheldon to Barbara indicating the brand new people carrier car that was now sitting in the driveway

"For me? Why?" asked Barbara

"Well its to show how much we appreciate you looking after the children while we work and as there will be two more coming which we hope you will look after, then we realised that you would need a bigger car and we all chipped in to buy it for you" said Amy

"Of course I will look after your new arrivals and I agree this car will be a big help, perhaps I can drive you all to the airport tomorrow in it, how many seats are there?

"Eight" replied Penny

"Not enough space then" replied Barbara

"That's ok because I am driving myself and Natasha to the airport" said George

"You going to leave your car there? Asked Raj

"Yes, why?

"It's expensive, forget about that, I will drive you" said Raj

"Oh thanks"

"Ok, the car was not the only thing we got" replied Penny going to the boot and retrieving a large box which Leonard immediately took off her and carried inside

"What's in the box? Asked Barbara

"Tonight's Chinese food and doughnuts, its Friday after all and the monthly vintage video game night" replied Penny as they made their way into the kitchen to distribute the food

"Good I hope you got double because I am very hungry" said Natasha

"Nat you ate like an hour ago" commented George

"I know but I have twins here remember" replied Natasha patting her very round bump

"Mommy, Daddy said we could go in the pool when you got home" said Marie

"Sure ok, I will be out in a moment if you can wait" replied Amy

"Amy I will take them and supervise them" said Barbara

"Thanks, are you staying over tonight? Asked Amy

"I wasn't planning to and anyway I need to pack some things to bring over while you are all away" replied Barbara

"That reminds me, I shall bring Murphy and Brandy over tomorrow as well" said George

After a quick swim, the kids soon got bored and were chasing each other around the garden while the adults sat outside and ate their food

"So do you have any specific plans for when you are in London? Asked Bernadette

"Well I am definitely going to the Laura Ashley store on Tuesday, I have a meeting with Belinda and then afterwards as the store is on the same road as Hamleys, probably take the kids there, I've heard that it is absolutely massive inside" replied Penny

"Yes and probably just go round the tourist spots, the middle weekend we are all going to a safari park that is way outside of London and staying overnight" added Amy

"Did you book us on that as well? Asked Natasha

"Yes, I assumed you would be coming? Said Amy

"Of course"

"Sheldon have we got any full fat coke? Asked Amy

"No why?

"I just have a need for some at the moment" replied Amy

"I will go to the garage and get you some don't worry" said Sheldon getting up and going into the house through the kitchen, Amy followed him

"Thank you, I know I keep asking for things we don't have and you have to go and get them but it's appreciated" said Amy

"Oh I know it's appreciated, you showed me that last night" replied Sheldon

"Well I do like to surprise you in the bedroom" said Amy fluttering her eyelids at him

"I really can't resist you when you look at me like you are now" said Sheldon moving closer to Amy and kissing her

"Pregnancy hormones making me horny all the time" said Amy as Sheldon pressed into her, she loved the feeling of him when he was aroused

"Why don't we go to the shop together" said Sheldon leaning down to kiss Amy again, this time they kissed more intensely

"Sure that works" replied Amy quickly popping her head out of the kitchen door to ask Barbara to watch Marie and Richard, then following Sheldon out of the house and they walked hand in hand to the shop, stopping for little kissing sessions on the way, when they arrived back, Amy guzzled down most of the bottle within a few minutes

"it's a good job I got a couple of bottles if you are going to go through them like that" said Sheldon

"I think that satisfied me for now" said Amy

Penny had got a cake shaped like a train for Archie and the group sang happy birthday to him while he blew out the candles

"Did you make a wish? Asked Penny to Archie

"Yes but I can't tell you what it is" replied Archie

"What's with the train style cake anyway? Asked Howard

"He loves trains" said Penny simply

"Yes but neither you or Leonard are big fans of them" replied Howard

"Well he spends a lot of time here so maybe he is influenced by my train collection" said Sheldon proudly

"Poor kid" said Howard noticing that David had crawled over to the area where all the kids' toys were and was playing with of Archie's trains

"Looks like Archie isn't the only one who likes trains then" said Amy sitting back down on the sofa and rubbing her belly, the baby was having an active day and was kicking a lot, sitting on the sofa didn't help with the uncomfortableness so she sat on the arm of the sofa and tried to get comfortable that way

"Whets the matter? Asked Sheldon noticing her moving a lot

"Nothing feels comfortable" moaned Amy standing up again and going to the kitchen she returned with a table chair and sat on that instead

"Better?

"Nope"

"I know that feeling" said Natasha knowingly

"Why don't you sit on my lap instead" said Sheldon who was sitting in the armchair

"Ok" replied Amy, though as she sat on him, she realised he had an erection which was pressing into bottom, she wiggled about a bit, which she knew was driving Sheldon mad and gave him a quick kiss

"That better? Asked Sheldon

"Very, you really are a perfect husband" replied Amy wrapping her arms around his neck

"I try my best"

"I don't understand why at only 5 months I am feeling like this, it wasn't like this with Marie or Richard" said Amy

"All pregnancies are different remember that" said Bernadette

"I think this is the perfect time for a picture" said Penny taking a picture of Sheldon and Amy cuddling and then uploading it to facebook

"Anyway I thought you guys were going to be playing video games" said Natasha

"Yeah but we would rather be here with our lovely wives instead" said George

"Plus we are all tired" added Leonard

"At least the holiday will give us a nice break then" said Amy

The little party broke up a couple of hours later and the next day, the kids woke up excited for the trip to London, as the flight wasn't until the evening, they took the kids and the dogs out for a run around in the local park in the hope of wearing the kids out but that didn't work

"Maybe they will sleep on the plane" said Amy going up to her room to finish the remainder of the packing

"They should do because I intend to" replied Sheldon

"Have you packed all the things you want to take with you? Asked Amy packing the last few things into her suitcase

"Yes I have, I know August in London is summer so I have packed a selection of my t0shirts and shorts"

"Well Richard wanted to pack only his lego until I pointed out that it would probably be confiscated at security in the airport" said Amy

"What time is your mom picking us up? Asked Sheldon

"430 and I think we can say we are pretty much done, I have the passports and boarding cards in my carry on bag ready" replied Amy

"Well seeing as the kids are occupied downstairs with a DVD maybe we can occupy ourselves up here" said Sheldon, he moved the suitcases off the bed and joined Amy on the bed

"Well we can't do too much as Natasha and George will be here in a minute to drop off Murphy and Brandy" said Amy

"That is very sad indeed, but I suggest a few minutes alone because we won't get any time alone until tomorrow night at the hotel" replied Sheldon

"You make a good point there" replied Amy as Sheldon kissed her then while Amy lay herself down on the bed, he sat astride her, grinding his arousal against her

"You know how much I need you now" moaned Sheldon into Amy's neck and want into to explore her body

"I know and we can work something out" replied Amy taking his hand guiding it to her wetness, he immediately found her clit and was teasing it when the doorbell went

"Darn it!" said Sheldon collapsing onto Amy and kissing her

"I will go" said Amy waiting for Sheldon to get off her, she quickly went downstairs and found Natasha and George there with the two dogs, Penny also was there with Jess and Jack, they were greeted very friendly by Daisy, Duke and Cassie and they set about playing with each other

"Is Raj picking you up from here? Asked Sheldon coming down the stairs with his and Amy suitcases

"Yes I parked on the street so Raj can drive and he will leave the car in the next door driveway" replied George

"Ok, back in a sec" replied Sheldon going back upstairs and returning with the kids suitcases

Barbara arrived a few minutes later and soon they were at the airport, they went through security fine until Richard was found to have one of his trains in his pocket after the metal detector beeped him, they walked through to the departure lounge and waited for the gate number to be called

"I told you it would be confiscated" said Amy as Richard sulked about having his toy taken away

"I didn't know it was there" said Richard

"Never mind we will get you another one" said Sheldon

"In London? Asked Richard

"Perhaps"

"Mommy how high does the plane go? Asked Archie

"Very high, around 30,000 feet, you will be above the clouds" replied Penny

"Can I sit by the window?

"Yes you will be next to daddy and I will have Corey in front of you" said Penny

"Amy I hope I am on an aisle seat, I don't wish to see anything that will remind me of how high we are" said Sheldon

"Yes you are Sheldon, don't worry about that"

"Mommy I'm bored, can we get on the plane yet? Asked Marie

"No it's not time yet" replied Amy

Thirty minutes later, they were boarded and ready for take off, Sheldon hated flying, so for the take off only, George and Natasha sat with Marie and Richard while Amy sat next to Sheldon and held his hand, he gripped her hand as tightly as when she held his when she gave birth to Marie, once the plane was up in the air Sheldon was less tense, although he hadn't released Amy's hand and once the seatbelt sign had been turned off, Amy noticed that Marie and Richard had fallen asleep, George and Natasha were happy to sit with them for the flight

"You know Sheldon if they have brandy you could always have one to calm your nerves"

"The only thing that will stop my nerves will be not being on this plane but as we can't drive to England this will have to do" replied Sheldon

"Well maybe one day we can go by boat"

"You mean like a cruise?

"Yes, I think they take about 5 days or longer but that's just one way" said Amy

"Fascinating" replied Sheldon

"Does that mean you are interested?

"Perhaps, its something we can think about doing" replied Sheldon leaning over to kiss Amy and patting her bump

"That was nice" said Amy a few moments later

"I would hope so" replied Sheldon smiling at her

"I think now would be a good time to get some sleep" said Amy

"I agree" replied Sheldon, they were booked into the first class area of the plane and were able to recline their seats back

The flight was relatively fine, they were served drinks throughout the night and breakfast in the morning before it was announced they would soon be landing, all four of the children were now very bored despite them having books to read and games to play and Sheldon was glad that the flight was almost over, as they started to descend, he took Amy's hand again and gripped it just as hard as take off, the plane landed safely and trundled along to the stand

"Sorry about your hand" said Sheldon noticing how red it looked

"Its ok, I'm sure it will be fine shortly" replied Amy

"Amy what sort of rooms did you book for us? Asked Penny

"For us with children I booked two double bedroom suites with ensuites and for Natasha and George a single suite, although it has a double bed and living area" replied Amy

Once they were off the plane and went through passport control they were free to make their way into London, Sheldon was very happy that they could take the London Underground straight to the hotel from the airport and 45 minutes later they were outside The Savoy hotel marvelling at how big and impressive it was, the kids though having passed a McDonalds only wanted to go there

"Look if we check in first, then come here afterwards" said Amy to Marie

"Ok mommy"

"Also it's getting late and I for one am exhausted" said Natasha

They made their way into the reception and Amy gave their booking details to the receptionist

"You shall all have use of a personal butler for the duration of your stay and that's included in the price you have paid for the room, you can call them anytime for anything you may need" said the receptionist

"Even if it's outside of the hotel? Enquired Penny

"Yes, was there something you required?

"Well the kids all want McDonalds" said Amy

"That's perfectly ok, if you give me your orders, I will pass that on to them and they can bring it up to your rooms" said the receptionist

"Thank you" replied Amy

"I shall just call the porters to help you with your luggage" said the receptionist

A few minutes later, the three couples and the children were shown to their suites, all three of which had balconies overlooking a view of the Thames and they were all next to each other, the kids however were not impressed and just wanted food, luckily the personal butlers arrived back within a few minutes

"Thank you so much" said Amy tipping her butler

"No problems madam" replied the butler

"Mommy can we eat now? Asked Marie

"Yes and everybody is coming in here to eat" replied Amy as the rest of the group joined them

"The view is wonderful and I want to go on one of the cruise boats that go up and down the river" said Natasha

"Sounds like a good idea" said Amy

"I know we are partly here to have a holiday and relieve you of the children, George and I were talking about having them for Wednesday evening and possibly again the following Monday" said Natasha

"Well it's appreciated and as long as they don't tire you out" said Amy

"That's why we said possibly the Monday, am feeling exhausted right now though" said Natasha yawning and stretching

"That's because we didn't get much sleep on the plane and its 6pm here and in LA its early morning" said George

"Well I am going to stay up for as long as I can" said Natasha tucking into her food

"Maybe after we have eaten we can go for a wander? Suggested Amy

"Yeah but not too far" said Penny

"Is the store near here? Asked Leonard

"Yes I think so, I didn't come this way when I first visited it but there seem to be plenty of taxis outside so I can just use one of those" replied Penny

A while later the food and drink had been consumed and the group went out for a wander, they had seen Waterloo bridge from the balcony of the hotel so walked over that, taking pictures of everything and talking about the plans for Sunday, there was a collective decision to go to the Science and History museums in Kensington, Penny and Natasha had agreed on hearing that it was close to the designer shopping areas

_**Next chapter up shortly**_


	48. Chapter 48

_**Hope you are all enjoying the story**_

_**I had a beta help me with part of this chapter, they have requested not to be named but I will thank them anyway**_

On Sunday Amy and Sheldon had returned from a day out visiting the Science and History museum and the shopping areas. They were due to go out for dinner with Leonard, Penny, Natasha and George but Amy was exhausted. Being five months pregnant, the baby was moving quite a lot and the combination of that and Jet Lag was hitting her hard. They had left the kids at their own request in the hotel Crèche and kids entertainment area for a couple of hours to play and were laying on the bed together when Sheldon made a suggestion.

"Why don't you have a relaxing bath while I go down to the beauty salon and ask if I can buy some massage oils. Then, after your bath, I can give you a massage."

"That sounds like something fun and naughty to do," replied Amy turning to give him a quick kiss.

"I can make it as fun and naughty as the last time when you dressed up for me" Sheldon said with a grin. Then, with another small kiss, he hurried off to complete his mission.

After her bath, Amy felt more refreshed. After she dried herself and wrapped herself in the complimentary dressing gown and returned to the bedroom, Sheldon was sitting on the bed watching TV, the massage oils and an opened bottle of wine on the side table near him.

"Here's some wine for you, Amy." He passed her a glass. "Don't worry. It's non-alcoholic."

"Why did you get wine?"

He shrugged. "Protocol for a romantic evening indicates that we must have candles, wine, and jazz music playing in the background. Candles are a direct fire hazard and not allowed in the hotel room and jazz music makes me sleepy. So, I settled for non-alcoholic wine."

"Thank you," she said, taking a sip before setting the glass on the bedside table. "How do you want to proceed with this massage since I can't lie on my stomach?" Amy pointed to her swollen belly.

"You make a good point." He considered this for a moment before continuing. "I suggest you sit at the end of the bed, and I can work it out that way." Sheldon waited for Amy to move to the foot of the bed.

She removed her dressing gown while Sheldon knelt on the bed behind her, pouring some oil on to his hands. He started at the top, working the muscles at the back of her neck, before moving down to her shoulders. His fingers rubbed down her spinal column, along the small of her back and around to her expanded stomach. His hands skimmed up, up and up before cupping and massaging swollen breasts. Amy moaned contentedly. As the mewing little sounds grew in tempo and tone, she felt Sheldon getting antsy behind her. He stretched up against her back for a moment to kiss her cheek. Amy turned her head and captured his seeking lips. She could feel his arousal pressing against her back. Torn between her desire for him and her desire to continue the massage, she whimpered in frustration. This seemed to arouse Sheldon further.

Continuing the kiss, Sheldon fondling her breasts, flicking her nipples.

Breaking away, Amy groaned and leaned back against him. "Is that part of the massage?" she asked, coyly. "Because it feels like you're getting fresh with me."

He chuckled. "You like it when I get fresh."

She grinned. "You had a job to complete, Dr. Cooper," she said with a mock scold.

"Get on your hands and knees, and I'll finish that job," Sheldon murmured into her ear.

Amy shivered in anticipation and hurried to do as he requested. Sheldon moved off the bed and to the side to rub the oil into her lower back. He kneaded and stroked, working out kinks as he went. Amy couldn't help the long sighs escaping from her throat.

"Amy, you are making me want to stop and have my way with you," Sheldon warned.

Amy looked over her shoulder at him. "There's nothing stopping you."

That was all Sheldon seemed to need in order to be finished with the massage. Wiping his hands on a towel, he tossed it away before stripping out of his clothes and joining her on the bed. There, they lay cuddling and kissing with Sheldon gently fondling her breasts. Amy reached between them for his erection and started to pump it, gently flicking the tip of his erection

Quivering against her, he buried his face into her neck and mumbled against her skin. "Amy, I need you now."

"Let me get into a position that is comfortable," Amy whispered, pressing a quick kiss to his lips. He cupped the back of her head and deepened the kiss. His tongue licked along the seam of her mouth before plunging inside to mate with hers. Their tongues twined, rubbed, and broke apart before coming back together in a tango that left her in a desperate need to have him inside of her body. Finally, Amy broke away from him, trying to catch her breath.

"Take me, Sheldon," she said. "Now."

His eyes dilated at her sharp command. "If I sit up against the headboard, you can sit on me facing forward. That should be the most comfortable position for you."

Amy nodded and was soon lowering herself onto his stiffened penis, sighing her pleasure as he filled her completely. Leaning her back against Sheldon's chest, she turned her head to kiss him as he put his hands on her hips and helped her move. The gentle, rocking motion had them both panting in no time.

"How's that?" Sheldon grunted.

"Good," Amy murmured, going back for another kiss.

Her hips undulated, trying to take more of him inside. Using her knees as leverage, she began to bounce against him at a faster pace. The sweet twist of pleasure began to build inside of her as Sheldon's hands reached up to caresses her breasts. They continued to move together until they became almost frantic. Frustration mounted as Amy tried to move faster, but couldn't do to her size and position.

"New position," she ordered.

He nodded. Amy quickly got off him. Sheldon waited long enough for her to lie down on her back before he spread her legs and thrust into her again. Amy locked her ankles around his firm butt for more support as he penetrated deeper. He leaned down to take one of her breasts in his mouth to lick and suck.

This, being one of Amy's most sensitive areas, caused her to whimper her lust for him. His thrusts became more agitated, and she could tell he was getting close, so much closer than she was. Seemingly unwilling to go alone, he reached between them. Using his fingers, he teased her throbbing clit until she arched against him, the feeling of him moving inside of her while his fingers rubbed her was almost too intense, but she never wanted it to end.

Her words came out in pleading, little gasps. "Yes, Sheldon. Sheldon, please. Oh yes."

Then, with one last flick of his finger, she was shoved over the edge. The wave of orgasm crashed upon her, nearly drowning her in ecstasy. As her body pulsed and contracted, he let out a muffled shout, stiffened, and released inside her. "Amy!"

They collapsed together on the bed. It was only a few seconds before Sheldon rolled away to her side, inhaling roughly.

"Oh my God, Sheldon. That was amazing," Amy said.

"Well I would hope so, I don't do anything to not be," Sheldon replied, arrogantly.

She laughed at his bravado and snuggled against him. They rested for a while before the cooling sweat on their bodies started to become uncomfortable.

"I think we will need a shower before dinner," Amy said.

Sheldon's head popped up. "Does that mean what I think it does?"

Amy laughed. "Do you mean shower coitus?" she said, pecking his lips.

"I do. Are you sure you're up for it?"

He looked cautious, as though he didn't want to let himself get too excited for fear of being disappointed. "For you, Sheldon," she said, "I am always up for anything."

"Good." His excitement was palatable as he jumped up from the bed. He was like a kid set loose in a candy store. "Shower coitus is the best kind," he said. "All the fun; none of the mess. But we better hurry. Dinner is in forty-five minutes."

"You're going to have to help me up then."

He looked down at her, sizing up the situation. Without a word of warning, he scooped up her body into his arms. "Problem solved," he said with a jaunty grin.

Amy wrapped her arms around his neck and pecked his lips.

Sheldon carried her to the en suite bathroom, he placed her on the edge of the bath while he ran the shower, he turned back and noticed Amy watching his every movement and playing with her hair, for some reason he found this incredibly sexy, Amy got up and walked towards him as he held his hand out for her to join him in the shower

Sheldon using the sponge gently soaped Amy's breasts and made his way down her body until he was satisfied she was clean, Amy then did the same, taking special care of his erection, when that was done Sheldon kissed Amy as the warm water poured on them, he lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he leaned against the wall of the shower for support

"I need you again Amy, you make me so horny for you" said Sheldon as he entered her, Amy lowered herself slightly to get a better grip, her clit was still sensitive from her previous orgasm and the waves of pleasure going through her as Sheldon penetrated her and kissed her were too much as she orgasmed screaming into Sheldon's ear, her passionate yelling for him made him spill his load immediately

"Amy I can never get enough of you" said Sheldon when they returned to the bedroom

"Good because apparently being pregnant is making me horny all the time" replied Amy

"Well I have no problem with that" said Sheldon they had a quick cuddle together before getting dressed for dinner in the hotel restaurant, they would be picking the kids up afterwards so were free to eat in peace.

_**The next chapter will have more of the trip to London but this one will be the last chapter until after Christmas, am very busy with work and am away from home for Christmas and I don't have any time to write**_


	49. Chapter 49

_**All reviews and comments, follows and favourites are all appreciated**_

_**Managed to get some time to write a very short chapter but the next one won't be up until after next weekend**_

The following day the group met for breakfast, Natasha hadn't joined the group for dinner the previous evening as she had been feeling even more tired than Amy but she was feeling much better this morning, the group were discussing plans for the day

"Mommy can we go to the Zoo? Enquired Marie

"Yes can we? Asked Archie

"Yes I don't see why not, I don't think it's far from here" replied Amy

"And can we go to the beach? Asked Richard

"I'm not sure how far the beach is though" said Amy

"Sorry to interrupt but the nearest beach is Southend which has a kiddie's play park next to it and it's only an hour by train or you could go to Brighton which is also an hour both of which are in different directions though" said the waitress serving them

"Oh, thanks how would we get there from here? Asked Penny

"To Brighton you can go to Victoria and for Southend you can go from Fenchurch Street, both are fairly close" replied the waitress as she placed their meals down in front of them

"Marie we can go to the Zoo today and the beach on Wednesday, we are going to go Toy shopping tomorrow, I guess you will like that" said Amy

"Yes mommy"

"My meeting with Belinda is early so I can meet you all afterwards at the store" said Penny

"What time is your meeting? Asked Natasha

"It's at 9am, it's not really a meeting as such, just a look around the store, I already know how things are going" replied Penny

"You three ok coming shopping with us or do you want to go and do manly things tomorrow? Asked Amy to Sheldon, George and Leonard

"Well we hadn't found any manly things to do just yet but I guess we can have a look around" replied Leonard as he helped Corey eat his cereal

"Sorry to interrupt again but if you like Laser Tag and Bowling then they have that at the Trocadero Centre at Piccadilly Circus" said the waitress

"I like that" said Sheldon

"Yeah that sounds fun" said Leonard and George together

"Also you can get to London Zoo via the Northern Line from Charing Cross down the road, you need to get off at Camden Town and follow the signs" said the waitress again

"Thank you, that's very helpful" said Penny smiling up at her

"Ok I'm just looking through the Zoo website and it opens at 10 and closes at 5 so we have plenty of time to get there and look around" said Amy scrolling through her phone

"Mommy want to see Monkeys" said Richard

"I want to see the penguins" said Marie

"Well there is a penguin show at 1130 so we can see that and everything else" said Amy

"Do they have koalas? Asked Sheldon

"No unfortunately not" replied Amy as Sheldon did his koala face smile

"Daddy whys your face like that? Asked Marie which caused the others to laugh

"Are you and George coming today? Asked Penny to Natasha who was rubbing her belly

"Yes of course, I feel very energetic today, not sure how long that will last though" replied Natasha

"Well we can take a slow walk around the Zoo then, its only 9 now so we have plenty of time to get there" said Penny

20 minutes later breakfast was finished and the group had gone up to their rooms to collect various things for the day out, they left the hotel and walked the short distance to the underground station, when they were down on the platform they had to wait a few minutes for the train and Amy and Penny were anxious about keeping the children away from the edge as there was only a small width platform and the kids were very excited

"Do you know how long the trip is? Asked Sheldon

"Yes I think it's only about 10 minutes, you can see on the map there with the stations listed" said Amy pointing to the map on the wall

A couple of minutes later the train arrived and pretty quickly they sailed through the stations and arrived at Camden Town, it was a 10 minute uphill walk to the Zoo but as it was a hot day, the pregnant ladies were soon sweating and panting and needed to stop, so Sheldon, Leonard and George went on ahead with the kids and waited for them at the entrance

"Daddy why are they taking so long? Asked Marie

"Well they are pregnant and carrying heavy loads and it's hot so they need to rest more frequently" replied Sheldon

"Look you can see them coming now" said Leonard to Archie who was getting impatient

"Can I run down to them? Asked Archie

"Yes but be careful of the road" shouted Leonard as Archie ran off with Marie

Once inside the Zoo they had a map of the attractions and went straight to the Penguin area as it was nearly time for the Penguin Feeding show, this was a popular attraction and already there was quite a few people there but the group managed to get a good spot to look down onto the pool and penguins that obviously knew what was going to happen as they were waiting patiently for the keeper to arrive

A few minutes the keeper arrived with two buckets full of fish and introduced himself

"Hello my name is Sam and I will be feeding the penguins the fish today, now I just need two volunteers, if you want to shout out" said Sam

"Me me me" shouted Marie and Archie together and the loudest of all the children present

"Very well, it looks like we have two children here" said Sam walking up towards them and he pointed his microphone in their general direction, the enclosure was sunken in and so people were crowded around watching down from a small height

"What are you names? Asked Sam

"I am Marie and he is Archie" said Marie

"How old are you and where are you from?

"We are four and from America" replied Marie again

"OK that's great, if you would like to walk round to the gate down the other end and I can let you in to help me as long as your parents are ok with this? Asked Sam looking towards them

"Yes its fine with us" said Penny

"And us" said Amy

"I will take them" said George taking their hands and walking them round

"Ok first of all you need to put some gloves on, I'm sure you don't want to touch this smelly fish do you? Asked Sam

"I do" shouted Archie causing much laughter around the attraction

"Ok, we shall risk it then, if you could reach into the bucket and take a few fish and just throw them into the pool" said Sam

Archie did this and jumped up and down with excitement as a penguin stood next to him and he hand fed him, Penny and Leonard were taking photos and videos of him doing this and then Sam showed Marie to the boxes with the penguin babies in and helped her feed the penguin mothers that were protecting the babies, Amy and Sheldon did the same thing of videos and photos

"If you give the babies the smallest fish that will be ok and then the remaining fish can be given to the rest of the penguins" said Sam as a loud roar could be heard just behind them

"What's that? Asked Marie looking around

"That's coming from the lion enclosure just behind us, they are due to be fed shortly and they are expressing their impatience I guess" replied Sam

"Can we feed them as well? Asked Archie

"Well not really, not even the keepers go in with them to do that" replied Sam as he guided Marie and Archie around the pool area, the penguins following them and diving in to get the fish

"I want to do this everyday" said Marie

"Maybe when you are older you can" replied Sam

"I fed monkeys and koalas in Pasadena Zoo" said Marie

"That's impressive" said Sam again

"My mommy works with monkeys in her lab" said Marie

"Really, well perhaps the children here don't really need to know about that" said Sam realising what Marie meant

"Why? Enquired Marie innocently

"Because it might upset them" said Sam and then into the microphone again "Ok everybody the feeding for the penguins is over for today, I would like to thank my little helpers Marie and Archie, a big round of applause for them and maybe tomorrow it will be somebody else's lucky turn" said Sam leading them back to the gate and to where Amy and Penny now where

"Thank you for letting them do that, it's very sweet" said Amy

"No problems, which one is yours? Asked Sam

"Marie"

"Ok, she mentioned you work with Monkeys in your lab?

"Oh dear, yes I am a Neurobiologist and specialise in experiments and addiction studies on monkeys" replied Amy

"Very interesting, well thank you for letting us use the children" said Sam shaking their hands and going back into the enclosure

"Did you two enjoy that? Asked Penny

"Yes mommy" replied Archie

"What's next mommy? Asked Richard

"Well the lion enclosure is just behind us and it looks like they will be fed in a minute so maybe we can go there" said Sheldon coming up behind them

The lion enclosure had a small moat in front of it and the keeper stood on the bank in front of the moat and gave a little talk on the history of the lions there and then he threw the chunks of meat he had by his side over the moat and the lions which were on their climbing frame shelves jumped down to fight over the meat

"Daddy they are very big" said Archie

"Yes you wouldn't want to meet one up close that's for sure" replied Leonard

"Actually, we have a lion inside with cubs if you wanted to see" said the keeper overhearing the conversation

"Yes please" said Marie following the keeper

"I think somebody wants to be a Zoo keeper when they are older" commented Sheldon

"She certainly likes animals" said Amy

The keeper showed them into the lion house and showed them the mother cub that was feeding some tiny cubs

"They are only a couple of weeks old" said the keeper

"Can we touch them? Asked Richard

"No, they are wild and deserve to stay as wild as they can be, we are just protecting the species in here" said the keeper

"They are so cute" said Amy

"They are" replied Natasha

By the time they had finished with the lions, it was time for lunch they found a restaurant in the park and everybody had sausage and chips for lunch and afterwards they continued round the park, visiting the monkeys and gorillas and then going to the aquarium and the reptile house, the children then wanted to go into the petting area and were able to touch pigs and sheep which had lambs with them

The children were especially amused by the meerkats who kept digging holes to bury their food in, only for other meerkats to dig it back up and eat, Corey however was terrified by the Silverback gorilla that was prowling its territory and beating his chest

"Daddy can we go now" asked Corey who was not happy

"Not yet there are still a few things to see" replied Leonard

"It can't get us can it? Asked Corey again

"No, look there is a deep moat separating us and a wall this side that the gorilla cant climb, so we are very safe" replied Leonard picking him up and giving him a cuddle to reassure him, he walked away with Corey to see another exhibit as Corey was still scared of it

They left the Zoo at 5pm when it closed and strolled down to the tube station and made their way back to the hotel, they passed a Pizza Hut on the way which the children wanted to go into, so they did and the day ended with them in there

"How are you ladies feeling? Not too exhausted I hope? Asked George

"I feel ok at the moment" said Amy settling back in to the seat, they were all seated in a private booth that had leather seats with leather backs

"This is bliss in here sitting like this" said Penny

"It is, maybe we could stay here for the rest of the night but I don't think they will let us" replied Natasha

"How's the twins? Asked George

"Less active than yesterday, perhaps they will keep me up tonight, also if we are going to the beach on Wednesday, then we can change the day that we have the children to Thursday afternoon instead" said Natasha

"Are you sure? You don't even have to have them" said Penny

"No we want to, we realise how important it is to have couple time and we want you guys to have that as well" replied Natasha

"Ok Thursday it is and thank you again" said Amy

"Where are you taking us Tasha? Asked Marie to Natasha

"Oh I don't know yet, we will have to think about it but somewhere exciting that's for sure" replied Natasha

"What time are you guys going out tomorrow? Asked Amy

"Lunchtime I think, we can meet you afterwards as the two locations we are at are fairly close to each other" said Leonard

By the time they left the pizza restaurant it was nearly 8pm and the children were getting tired, so once they got back to the hotel, they had quick baths and were put to bed, Amy and Sheldon were relaxing in the lounge area on the sofa with some non alcoholic wine, the baby after being quiet for most of the day was being very active

"The kids had a great time today and your massage last night really helped" said Amy

"Well anytime you fancy another one, I have some oils left over" replied Sheldon

"I will hold you to that Dr Cooper" said Amy leaning over to give him a kiss

"Perhaps we can include sexy massages on our date nights" suggested Sheldon

"I won't say no to that" smiled Amy kissing him again and relaxing into the hug that Sheldon offered

_**There will be a couple more chapters on the London trip before they get back to Pasadena **_


	50. Chapter 50

On Tuesday Penny was up before Leonard and the children, she had a 9am meeting with Belinda at Laura Ashley and wanted to get there in time and also to dress smartly or as smartly as she could being 20 weeks pregnant, she had brought one of her own dresses with her that was floaty and comfortable

Penny arrived at the store just as it was opening and was shown to Belinda's office, she was a little early but Belinda saw her straight away

"Hi Penny, good to see you, you are blooming by the way" said Belinda

"Oh thank you, this pregnancy has been trouble free so far" replied Penny

"Can I get you a drink? Asked Belinda

"Oh tea please" replied Penny, Belinda pressed a button on her desk and requested her assistant to make the drink and then turned back to Penny

"One of our own clients, when she heard you were coming has requested a personal shopper appointment with you today, she will be here in about 10 minutes, I hope that is ok?

"Of course and I was wondering, it was just an idea I had, obviously I can't fly to London every week but if you had anymore people that come into see the collection and that would like my advice, perhaps we could set up Skype sessions and I can do it that way" suggested Penny

"That sounds like an excellent idea, we will have to take into account the time difference as well though"

They continued chatting until the client arrived and Penny gave her the same advice she gave her own clients

_**Back at the hotel, **_Natasha was helping Leonard dress the children and everybody had gone down to the dining room for breakfast, Marie and Archie were excited about going Toy Shopping, Richard just wanted to join in with the guys on their man only day

"Look tomorrow we can go to the beach and build big sandcastles together, today is just about Leonard, George and myself" said Sheldon

"Plus we are going toy shopping, so you can choose something you like and we can take it back home with us" added Amy

"Ok mommy" said Richard finishing off his juice

An hour later they met Penny outside the Laura Ashley shop and walked down to Hamleys, the children scattered everywhere looking at toys and stuffed animals, Amy was glad that Sheldon, Leonard and George were not going to leave them until lunchtime as she had already lost track of Marie who had gone off towards the girls area with Sheldon in tow

"Look mommy it's a stuffed dog just like Daisy and Duke" said Richard

"Yes it is" replied Amy looking at the price and hoping that Richard didn't want to take it home

They left the shop some time later with bags full of games and dolls, the guys went off to the Trocadero Centre and the girls returned to the hotel and made use of the personal butler service by ordering McDonalds again and afterwards the kids wanted to go to the supervised creche area for a while, so while they were in there, Amy, Penny and Natasha made the most of the free time and had a nap before the husbands returned, Sheldon went back to his room and found Amy still asleep, he joined her on the bed spooning her and kissed her shoulders, Amy woke up with Sheldon's arms around her, she turned her head and greeted Sheldon with a lingering kiss

"Hey you ok? Asked Sheldon a little while later

"Yes, just having a little nap, pregnancy makes you very tired, the kids are in the Creche having fun" replied Amy

"I did wonder"

"How was the Trocadero centre?

"Oh it was good fun, I suggest if we get some time before we leave then we can all go bowling together, the kids can go in the Creche again, they seem to like it" replied Sheldon

"We have booked dinner for 7pm, so we have a bit of time before we have to go down just yet" said Amy trying to sit up

"Did you want a drink?

"Oh yes, something cold will do" replied Amy as Sheldon helped her to sit up and went to the mini fridge and returned with an ice cold coke

"Would you like me to do anything for you? Asked Sheldon as he sat down on the bed with her

"No just being here with me is enough" replied Amy turning and snuggling up to him

The next day brought bright sunshine so perfect beach weather, the group made their way to Fenchurch Street station by taxis and found that a train was leaving almost straight away, the kids were excited to be on the train even if the journey went very quickly, the train station at Southend was very close to the beach and the group found a quiet spot away from the crowds, Natasha was already feeling exhausted and had a suggestion for Penny

"I know I am very stubborn about not giving up work before I have to in October but I think from about the middle of September I will see how it goes and just reduce the days I work, look at the size of me, I am double the size of you two now"

"I don't think you are double the size, you are taller than us two therefore it just looks like it" replied Penny

"Feels like I am carrying a herd in here" replied Natasha as Penny and Amy laughed at her

"Don't worry about work, once you get to tired or too big then just let me know and we can sort something out, I will be stopping work by the middle of November myself" said Penny

"Same here, assuming that I will go full term this time" said Amy

"Don't worry you will" said Sheldon putting his arm around her and bringing her in for a kiss

"I like the faith you have in my bodies ability to carry" said Amy

"Daddy can we go in the sea? Asked Archie

"Yes of course but first we need to get you into your swimming shorts" said Leonard

"Is Corey coming in?

"When he wakes up perhaps he will do" replied Leonard

"Daddy can you help me? Asked Archie

"Of course but you dress yourself in the morning so this shouldn't be any different" said Leonard helping him, Leonard already had his own swimming shorts on and once Archie was changed, Marie and Richard were also ready and they all had armbands on they raced down to the sea with Leonard, George and Sheldon in tow, Amy and Penny joined their husbands in the sea a few minutes later while Natasha minded Corey and watched their gear

"Mommy come and swim" shouted Marie when she saw Amy wading in

"Swim to me Marie" said Amy as Marie who was being guided by Sheldon splashed her way towards Amy for a hug and then turned and swam towards George who had Richard on his shoulders, Amy by now had reached Sheldon and gave him a kiss and a hug as Marie swam back to them

"Daddy put me on your shoulders" asked Marie

"Sure and then shall I dunk you in the sea? Enquired Sheldon

"Yes daddy"

"Very well" replied Sheldon doing just that as Marie had a great time in the sea

Natasha was taking pictures from their spot on the beach and soon Penny returned as Corey woke up and requested something to drink, the children then wanted to build holes and sandcastles again so after Sheldon went to a nearby shop he bought a few buckets and little spades while the kids entertained themselves for the rest of the day, on the way back to the station, they went to the kids amusement park and let the kids go on the rides, there was also a rollercoaster which the guys went on, the ladies wanted to but being pregnant it was advised otherwise

"Do you guys have any plans for when we have the kids tomorrow? Asked Natasha when they were on the train coming back

"Well I had to come to London a few years ago for a criminal case and I have kept in touch sporadically with the Head of Special Investigations at Scotland Yard, so we are going to have a late lunch together with he and his wife and some of the team I met here" said Amy as Sheldon's phone beeped

"This is a reply from Stephen Hawking, he would like to meet us all for dinner on Friday, he will be in London that day as he is teaching at University College London" said Sheldon

"Is he coming to The Savoy? Asked Leonard

"Yes, I happened to mention we were all here and he agreed to meet us" replied Sheldon

"What about the children? Asked Penny

"Oh he wants to see them as well, he knows all about them from various emails he and I have exchanged" said Sheldon

"What time are we leaving on Saturday morning? Asked Penny

"We are on the 9am coach from Victoria, I have booked us taxis to get there" replied Amy

"As for what Leonard and I are doing, we are not sure yet, probably take a walk down Oxford Street and hit the shops" said Penny

"Also before we came away, President Siebert expressed his concerns that Leonard and I will both be on Paternity Leave at the same time, leaving no cover for Head of Physics for almost a month but when I suggested to him that two weeks of that will be over Christmas, he was ok about it but left it up to Leonard and I to sort out who will take Paternity leave when" said Sheldon

"Wouldn't that depend on who has their baby first? Asked Amy

"Yes, that's what we have decided, whoever has their baby first will take 1 month immediately and the other one will still have plenty of people around to help, my family will be here, Penny and Natasha's family will be here and I know the twins will have lots of people wanting to help, so we will just play it by ear" said Sheldon

"Well I guess we didn't factor in your jobs when we planned to get pregnant" said Penny

"Bit like the store then with you and I" added Natasha

"Yes but at least Alex and Kelly are experienced enough to cover as managers for a few months and one of them can also help out in the Men's section if needed" replied Penny

Once they had returned back to the hotel they had dinner and later on that evening the group were hanging out in Sheldon and Amy's room, the kids had all gone to sleep when Penny's Skype on her laptop started to ring, she noticed it was Alex and she was in the office at the store, so answered it and assumed there was a problem at the store

"Hi Alex, how are you doing?

"I am very good, is everybody with you? Asked Alex

"Yes, why what's going on? Asked Penny as everybody gathered round the laptop

"Mitchell proposed to me at lunchtime" said Alex showing them her diamond ring

"Oh congratulations, where is he by the way? Said Penny

"He had to go back to work but I just wanted to tell you all, I have told the others as well"

"Have you thought about a wedding date yet? Asked Amy

"Not really, it will probably be next year and I already think that I want to get married on the beach at Malibu" replied Alex

"Oh that's beautiful, try and do it as the sun is going down, it will be perfect" said Natasha

"That's a good idea I think, the only thing I definitely want is Natasha as my Maid of Honour, I don't know about bridesmaids and pageboys yet, I have two nephews so I might use them but I don't know just yet" replied Alex

"Alex you want me as your maid of honour? Asked Natasha in surprise

"Yes, I would consider you one of my closest friends so why not" replied Alex

"Oh thank you" replied Natasha

"How's the holiday going? Asked Alex

"Yes very good, tomorrow we are going to the beach, it's a bit of a train ride but the kids want to go so we are" replied Amy

"OK I have to go as I have a client in a few minutes, but I just wanted to let you all know" said Alex showing them the ring again

"Congratulations and see you next week, we shall have a party to celebrate" said Penny

"Also are you and Mitchell moving in together? Asked Natasha

"Yes he has an apartment but we are going to look for a house together and hopefully move in before the wedding" replied Alex

"Ok, we will let you go and congratulations again" said Amy as everybody waves to her and she signed off

"That's nice, I am really happy for her and its nice that she chose you Nat" said Penny

"I know and I think if George is ok with it, then Alex will be one of the godparents, but I won't tell her that until the babies are born" said Natasha

"I'm ok with it" said George

"Good" replied Natasha smiling at him

_**Next chapter up soon**_


	51. Chapter 51

_**Hope you all like this chapter, I myself have been to Longleat and there is a TV show about the place so that is where I get most of my information from**_

On Thursday, Natasha and George took the kids for donuts and then to Kensington Park, the others had agreed to meet them there afterwards, Amy and Sheldon had an enjoyable lunch with their London friends and Penny and Leonard enjoyed shopping

Friday everybody did their own thing until they met Stephen Hawking for dinner and on Saturday they were currently at Victoria coach station waiting for the coach to depart

"Mommy how long does the coach take to get there? Asked Marie

"It's about an hour and a half, depending on traffic" replied Amy

A few minutes later an announcement could be heard calling for passengers on the Longleat trip, they made their way to the designated coach stand and after packing their overnight bags in the hold, got on the coach, it was fairly busy with other families on board, Marie and Archie decided they wanted to sit next to each other and so did Corey and Richard

"How are the babies? Asked George to the ladies once the coach set off

"Yes Daniel is fine, he had a few kicks earlier but now he is quiet" replied Amy

"Same here" replied Penny

"As I mentioned the other day it feels like I have a herd in here, when one is quiet the other starts up, I hope that is not going to be true to life when they eventually appear" said Natasha

"Only time will tell" replied Sheldon

"Oh by the way, Sheldon and Amy would you be ok minding the dogs at the beginning of September, Leonard and I are taking the children to New York when Raj and I go to sign the contracts for another year of the partnership deal" asked Penny

"Sure but what days are you going? I have to go to Harvard on the 14th and 15th of that month"

"Oh we will be gone the week before and Beverley has agreed to put us all up for two days, she hasn't seen the kids for a while and it will be good for her to bond with them a bit" replied Penny

"Beverley bonding with the children? Asked Sheldon sceptically

"Yes I know but she wont be like when I was a child, the few times she has seen them, she really got on well with them" replied Leonard

The group chatted for most of the journey, the coach drove them through the village where they would be staying on the way to the Safari Park, the coach then picked up the tour guide at the entrance of the park who then announced himself

"Hello everybody I am one of the official Longleat tour guides and I have been working here for many years, my name is Phillip and I am here to help you with any questions we may have" said Phillip as he continued talking

"Once the coach journey through the park has ended you can also have the chance to enter the giraffe enclosure to hand feed them, also there is a boat cruise to visit the seals, Hippos and Gorillas on Gorilla island should you wish to do so" said Phillip

The tour guide then announced that they were going through the monkey reserve next and that the monkeys would probably climb on to the roof of the coach, as the tour guide was saying this they could already see in the distance the monkeys crowded round cars and taking bits of trimming off

"Mommy why do they do that? Asked Archie in a loud enough voice for the tour guide to hear

"It's because they can but at the end of the day, the keepers collect all the bits that the monkeys have taken off, so that anybody who wishes to get bits back can come and claim it"

"What's the biggest piece that they have taken off? Asked Marie

"They managed to get an entire front bonnet off once" replied Phillip

"My mommy works with monkeys" announced Marie loudly to Amy's embarrassment

"Really do you work in a Zoo as well? Asked Phillip

"No and for the sake of all the children on the coach its best we say nothing further on that" replied Amy

"Very well, ok as you can see we are entering the enclosure now, the monkeys will probably bang on the windows but don't be scared, they cannot get into the coach, also the coach will be going through slowly for you to take pictures" said the tour guide

As it turned out the coach had to go slowly because the cars in front had pretty much stopped as the monkeys set about jumping on all the cars, the keepers had their own vehicles and were trying to distract them by chucking bits of fruit out into the grassy areas, it worked for a few minutes but then they went back to climbing over the cars and attempting to climb up the coach. The children found this extremely funny

"Just so you all know there is a miniature railway which goes around the perimeter of the park and you can all do on that later as well" added Phillip as the coach moved slowly on

"Look mommy that one has a baby in its arms" shouted Richard to Amy as the monkey with the baby climbed up a nearby tree

"Yes and it looks very small, I wonder how old it is" pondered Amy as the coach started moving a little faster as the monkeys made for the cars behind it, they left the monkey enclosure and the coach made for the lion enclosure, they had to wait as there was some lions waiting by the entrance and the keepers had to manoevoure them away before the gates could be opened

"Amy will we have to go food shopping to stock the cottage? Enquired Penny while they waited

"No that's all done beforehand by the owners, I sent them a list of what we can and can't eat, the cottage only has 4 bedrooms so I think all the kids can go in one room, that has also been provided for with four single beds for them to sleep in" replied Amy

"What time are we leaving in the morning? Asked Natasha

"We are booked on the 12pm coach to leave, so a chance for a little lie after a long day today, also there is a coach stop just outside the village where we can pick the coach up" said Amy

"Ok we are now about to enter the first lion enclosure, there are two prides of lions here and they are separated by a kind of no mans land in between the enclosures and at either end" said the tour guide

"Have any of them managed to escape? Asked Leonard

"No but one did try a while ago and started to climb over the first fence but it was chased back in, the fence was then made taller and this prevented this happening again, but we do have procedures in place for any animal escape" replied the tour guide

"How often are the lions fed? Asked Sheldon

"They are fed every other day, we try to replicate the wild behaviour and they would only eat at least that much in the wild, the feed truck is due to go round very shortly, so we might be in luck and see it happen" replied Phillip

A few minutes later the coach finally gained entrance to the enclosure, the feed truck then followed behind and overtook the coach and the keeper dropped food through a hole in the floor, the lions then chased the truck and grabbed whatever they could

"The keepers encourage the lions to chase the truck as it imitates chasing the kill if you like, also you will notice the male tends to stock up the best bits of meat" said Phillip

As they watched the lions, Penny received a text from Raj

"Oh Raj has said he will hold an engagement party for Alex and Mitchell when we return, he's already spoken to them and they agree" said Penny

"That will be something to look forward to when we return" said Amy

"Mommy are Alex and Mitchell going to have children? Asked Marie

"I don't know, they haven't said anything to us yet, lets just wait for them to have the wedding and see what happens" replied Amy

"In the next lion enclosure, there are four cubs, they are around 6 months old and very boisterous" said Phillip

The coach left the first enclosure and again had to wait because the lions could see the feed truck in the other enclosure, another keeper drove their vehicle in their direction to get them away from the entrance and the lions scattered towards the middle of the enclosure, both of the enclosures were several acres big, after a few minutes the coach entered the enclosure and everybody could see why the cubs were so boisterous as they were jumping all over the adult lions including the male who was tolerating it, the feed truck entered and again the lions chased the truck collecting various bits of meat

"Mommy I wish we had a lion" said Richard

"Probably not the best idea and I think having 3 dogs and 4 rabbits is plenty enough" replied Amy

"Although we can adopt animals, like we did with the monkey and koala at Pasadena Zoo" added Sheldon

"If anybody is interested we have a pet's corner area where people are allowed to handle certain animals with the keepers help" said Phillip

"What sort of animals? Asked George

"Generally we have tame Snakes, Rabbits and Rats that are happy to be petted, oh and we have ferrets which we take on little walks" replied Phillip the last bit made Marie giggle and laugh very loudly

"Mommy I want to do that" said Marie

"Perhaps" replied Amy

The coach then left the lion enclosure and made its way through the tiger and wolf enclosures, then on to what was called the East Africa Reserve, which housed deer, Bison, Giraffes and Rhinos, afterwards the group were allowed into a special area on a platform where they were given food to give to the Giraffes before being driven towards the lake where the seals were

"Amy I don't think I want to go on here" said Sheldon after looking at the small boat that carried people around

"Its perfectly safe but I won't force you" replied Amy helping Marie and Richard on and turning back to Sheldon to give him a kiss, apparently the kiss changed Sheldon's mind and he got on the boat and sat next to Amy holding her hand and not looking over the side of the boat and generally looking pale

"How are we going to go on a cruise across the Atlantic if you can't even handle a tiny boat ride? Enquired Amy

"I didn't want to get on in the first place" replied Sheldon

"Nobody made you" said Amy quite reasonably

"I didn't want to be away from you and I want to look after you and the children" replied Sheldon

"That's sweet" replied Amy leaning over to kiss him again, Sheldon put his arm around her to protect her as the kids leaned over the side of the boat as it moved off

"Ok everybody my name is Darren and I will introduce you to all the animals we have here in the lake, you can already hear that the seals are next to us" said Darren indicating the loud barks coming the seals

"Are we allowed to feed them? Asked Natasha

"Yes my helper here will go round passing you fish to just throw in the water, the seals will follow us to end of the lake and back, we try not to overfeed them though, the two brown lumps over there are our hippos, they spend a lot of the day in the water and they have a den which they sleep in at night in the field over the other side"

"Mommy let me throw some fish" said Archie

"Ok but be careful, Daddy will hold you so you can aim well" said Penny

Leonard and George picked up Archie and Richard and helped them throw the fish to the seals, while Sheldon decided he would help Marie to do the same but she had other ideas

"No daddy, you don't like boats, let mummy help me" said Marie

"Great even my own daughter thinks I am a wimp" moaned Sheldon

"Nobody thinks you are a wimp Sheldon" said Amy patting his hand and getting up to help Marie

"Now we are just passing the first of our two gorilla islands, the first one has one gorilla in there and he is called Nico and he is 52 years old, he is what you call a Silverback, he had a female mate but she died a few years ago and it was thought best not to try and introduce anybody else to him, but he has 24 hour use of a TV that he likes to watch and we try to enrich his life as much as possible" said Darren, the gorilla could be seen running around the little island picking up bits of food the keepers had left out for him, they passed the second island with more gorillas further down the lake before the boat turned to go back and they left the boat, by now it was almost 2pm,

"I don't know about anybody else but I am hungry, maybe we should look for somewhere to eat" said Natasha

"Well according to the guide there is a restaurant by pet's corner, let's head over there" replied Amy

The group had lunch and then spent a lot of time in Pets corner with the children touching all the animals but only Penny and Amy wanted to hold the snakes, the rats were very tame and gentle, they also went into the bat cave but that proved to be too scary for the children so left immediately and went to the ferret enclosure where the keepers allowed the children to take the ferrets on a short walk with supervision

"Shall we take the coach towards Longleat house or make our way to the Village and find our cottage for the evening? Asked Penny noticing how late it was getting

"Well I am about to drop here, so I think going to the Village is a good idea" said Natasha sitting down on a nearby bench and clutching her back

"You ok? Enquired George

"Yes just very tired and both of them are now awake and moving about a lot" replied Natasha

The group made their way to the car park where the coach was and started to collect their luggage

"Look I don't have to leave until 6pm, so if you like I can just drive you all down to the village, it's a bit of a walk from here" said the coach driver

"Thanks" said Amy as they got back on board, the coach arrived outside their cottage a few minutes later, Amy had texted the owner on the way and she was waiting outside for them to let them in

"Hello my name is Valerie, here is your key for the cottage, I live next door so please if you have any problems just come and get me" said Valerie handing the key over to Amy

The group entered the cottage and let the kids watch TV while they took their stuff upstairs and chose rooms, Amy then announced she would be cooking dinner, she had ordered a chicken with potatoes and vegetables as well as a cheesecake and some fruit and ice cream

"Amy let me help you with something, Natasha is going for a lie down and the boys will entertain the children" said Penny going into the kitchen with Amy

"Alright you can peel the veg while I do the potatoes" replied Amy

An hour later, dinner was ready and the group sat at the table eating and chatting about the day

"Did you children enjoy seeing the animals? Asked Amy

"Yes mommy and I want to go to the Zoo again when we get home" replied Marie

"That shouldn't be a problem" replied Amy

"When are we going home? Asked Archie

"Tuesday morning" replied Penny

"Ok" replied Archie going back to eating his food

"Have you enjoyed it here? Asked Penny

"Yes it's been fun" replied Archie

After dinner the kids soon got sleepy so after baths they were put to bed, while the adults went back downstairs and enjoyed the rest of the evening, Leonard had brought cards with him so they had a few card games and played Charades and Skyping Barbara to check on the dogs before heading off to bed

The next morning Natasha was up before everybody else, she had a good nights sleep, so left George in bed and went downstairs and started on cooking breakfast for everybody, she was soon joined by Marie who had also woken up early

"Tasha can you put the TV on please? Asked Marie

"Sure sweetie, did you sleep well?

"Yes, am hungry again now though" replied Marie

"Do you want cereal or toast?

"Toast and tea please" replied Marie

Natasha set about making breakfast for Marie and then the breakfast for the rest of the adults, Amy had ordered Bacon, Sausages and Eggs and beans, so she set about making that, not long after everybody came down for breakfast

"Thanks Tasha, you didn't have to do that" said Amy

"I know but you and Penny made dinner last night while I rested, so I wanted to do something for you guys and I feel more energetic this morning" replied Natasha

The group finished breakfast and set about leaving the cottage as tidy as they found it, Amy then returned the key to the owner and they went to Coach stand at the end of the Village, they returned back to London pretty quickly, there was no particular plans for Sunday evening or Monday so the group did their own thing before returning home on Tuesday

Barbara and Raj picked them up from the airport and they arrived back at Sheldon and Amy's house to find all the dogs were very happy to see them, Natasha and George picked up their own dogs and drove home as Natasha was feeling sick and exhausted from the long journey home

"Raj when is this party you said we were having for Alex and Mitchell? Asked Penny

"I said that we would hold it on Saturday, Alex and Mitchell will come round after work tonight to see you all" replied Raj

"Ok, also I probably forgot to tell you how the trip to Laura Ashley was but everything was ok and we agreed that if anybody wanted my advice on anything they can Skype me, Belinda will given them my Skype address and I can talk to them that way" said Penny

"That's a good idea" replied Raj

"You and Penny look like your bumps have got bigger since you have been away" said Barbara

"It feels like it as well" said Amy as she led everybody into the lounge, the kids immediately ran upstairs to Marie's room to play with the toys

"Did you have a good time? Asked Raj

"Oh it was fantastic, especially the weekend away to the Safari Park" replied Leonard

"Yeah we took loads of pictures and videos of everything, I will upload some of mine to Facebook later" said Penny

"Also thank you for helping mom with walking of all the dogs" said Amy to Raj

"No problem, actually Howard joined us on a few walks as well" replied Raj

The rest of the day was spent emptying suitcases and around 6pm, everybody arrived at Sheldon and Amy's house to wait for Alex and Mitchell, the group had got to know Mitchell a lot since he and Alex had started dating two years previously

"When you see Alex you will see the change in her, she was so happy when she told us" said Kelly just as the doorbell rang, Amy went to answer it

"Hello you two, Congratulations" said Amy hugging them both

"Thanks, you are glowing by the way" said Alex patting Amy's bump

"Cheers, come through to the living room and we can talk more" said Amy leading them to the living room where everybody was

"I know we said we would hold a formal engagement party at my place on Saturday and we will still do that but this is just a little get together for close friends" said Raj patting Mitchell on the back

"Thanks, we have decided on a date for the wedding now as well" said Mitchell

"Oh when is it? Asked Amy

"20th of March which gives us plenty of time to prepare and we will be getting married on the beach" said Alex

"Yes and I will be having my brother as best man" said Mitchell

"I have already asked Natasha to be my Maid of Honour and as for bridesmaids and pageboys, I will have my two nephews as pageboys and then Marie and Rose as bridesmaids" said Alex

"You know all of us are ordained as ministers to marry people if you wanted one of us to marry you" said Leonard

"Oh I hadn't though of that, Mitchell and I will talk about that nearer the time" said Alex

"Have you thought about a honeymoon yet? Asked Penny

"Yes we are going to Jamaica for a week in April, we kind of planned it for then because then you and possibly Natasha will be back to work at the store by then" replied Alex

"I don't think I will be by then, I was planning on taking at least 6 months maternity leave but Penny will be back to work by March anyway" replied Natasha

"Are you going to buy a house now that you are getting married? Asked Amy

"Yes but not just yet, we have moved in together though" said Alex

"Oh, who's place? Asked Penny

"Well 4a has been empty since Natasha and George moved out so after asking the landlord he allowed us to move in there, so we did at the weekend" said Alex

"Ok, well before you all got here I bought champagne and non alcoholic wine for the pregnant ladies, so I shall lead the toast for Mitchell and Alex and say congratulations to them and wish them all the best for the future" said Sheldon

"To Mitchell and Alex" said everybody together raising their glasses

_**Next chapter up soon**_


	52. Chapter 52

_**Cheers for reviews, follows and favourites, they are all appreciated**_

_**There will be a couple of surprises in this chapter, one good one and one not so good one but it turns out ok in the end**_

The day after the friends returned from holiday, none of them had work on that day as it was time for their next scan, they were due to have their 20 week scans while they were away but they were all rearranged for the day after they returned, so effectively they were having 22 week scans and they again were watching each others, they had the same doctor doing the sonograms again

"So Amy I can tell you that everything is looking good, the baby is the right size and weight for the time of pregnancy, have you had any problems? Asked Dr Taylor once she had finished checking things over

"Other than a little bit of tiredness no" replied Amy

Natasha was next and the doctor confirmed that they twins were growing well, the boy twin was still slightly bigger than the girl though

"How are you coping with the pregnancy?

"Well I tend to have more energy in the morning, usually by about mid afternoon I start to feel exhausted" replied Natasha

"Are you still working full time?

"Yes but I intend to reduce my hours by the end of September" replied Natasha

"Hmm well I would recommend you start reducing them before then, you need to rest as much as you can" said the Doctor

"I tried telling her that Dr but she insists on working as much as she can" said George

"Yes thanks for that George" said Natasha glaring at him

"Nat he is just looking out for you" said Penny

"Yes I know but I like working and don't want to give up until I absolutely have to" replied Natasha getting off the bed and Penny took her place

"Lets talk about this later" said George cuddling Natasha

"Ok" said the Doctor a few minutes later "Your little girl is growing as we expect and there are no problems, please all of you if you have any problems you have my number, please come and see me and I will recommend you all rest as much as you can"

On the way out of the hospital Sheldon and George received text messages from Mary asking them to Skype her as soon as possible, luckily Penny had her laptop with her so they found a bench outside and called her

"Hi mom, what's going on? Asked Sheldon when Mary answered

"Is George with you?

"Yes, we just had our latest baby scans" replied Sheldon as George came into shot

"Oh good, how did they go? Asked Mary

"Everything is fine but what's the reason that you need to talk to us so quickly?" asked Sheldon

"Well it seems your sister has gone and gotten married without telling anybody" said Mary looking suitably annoyed

"What? Said George

"When did this happen? Asked Sheldon

"The weekend apparently, Missy came over this morning to tell me, you remember her boyfriend Brett that she has been seeing on and off for the past few years? asked Mary

"Yes, he seems a nice enough guy" said George who had seen more of him than Sheldon had

"Why did they get married without telling anybody? Asked Natasha

"She is pregnant also and she wasn't going to tell me but I forced it out of her, you know me I can tell when somebody is hiding something" replied Mary

"She's pregnant? When is she due? Asked Amy

"She said she was 6 weeks so probably around February or March, she was going to tell you all tonight but she's gone to work, also please thank Raj and Alex for the invitation to the engagement party but we wont be able to make it but we will try and come over for the wedding" said Mary

"Sure but why would she feel that she has to get married because she's pregnant? Asked George

"My guess is that because she is so early in the pregnancy that she could then announce later on that she was pregnant a couple of months into the marriage, am I such a bad mother that you kids can't tell me things? Asked Mary

"No mom you are great and we do tell you things, maybe Missy was worried about your reaction" said George

"Well I would have preferred to have been there at the wedding, it was only them and their two best friends as witnesses" said Mary

"Well maybe you can see if they want to have a blessing then at Christmas time over here" said Sheldon

"That's actually a good idea, anyway I have to go and take Meemaw to the doctors, she has a chest infection" said Mary

"Give her my love" said Sheldon

"Will do and just be nice to Missy when she calls you all tonight please" said Mary ending the call

"Well that was interesting, is Brett on Facebook do you think? Asked Penny logging on to her Facebook profile and finding Missy's page on her friend list

"I have no idea but if you look at Missy's friend list he might be there" replied George

"Did we ever meet him? Asked Amy

"No she's pretty much kept him away when we have visited, I don't know why" replied Sheldon

"But you have met him before though? Asked Amy again

"Yes they dated when they were teenagers and it's been on and off ever since, sometimes with several years in between" replied Sheldon

"Oh look here he is" said Penny finding Brett's page

"It didn't take long for them to say they were married to each other then" said Amy spotting Brett's relationship status

"What does he do for a living? Asked Natasha

"He has his own mechanics garage" replied George

The group made their way home, Amy offered to cook for them and around 7pm Missy called them on Skype

"Hi guys, so I guess Mom told you then" said Missy waving to them all

"Yes and double congratulations" said Sheldon

"Thanks, I am sorry I didn't tell y'all though" said Missy

"Don't worry about it, we suggested to Mom that when you come over at Christmas you can have the wedding blessed at the church where Natasha and I got married" said George

"That way all of us will be there, providing we have had the babies by then" added Amy

"I think we are coming over on the 20th December so unless you go 10 days overdue then I think you will have had them, especially Natasha" said Missy

"So how far along are you exactly? Asked Penny

"I had a scan on the way home from work and I am 7 weeks pregnant so around the middle of February I will be due, I don't even have a bump yet" said Missy

"And its just one baby? Asked Sheldon

"Yes, which I am glad about" replied Missy

"Missy, I am scared to bits about having twins but if you had them, then I am sure you would be fine" said Natasha

"Perhaps, also Brett is here with me if y'all would like to say hello" said Missy as Brett appeared on the screen

They chatted for a few minutes until Amy remembered the dinner and called the children down from upstairs, they told them about Missy getting married and that they would be having another cousin in February

"Also Marie, you and Rose will be Alex's bridesmaids"

"Like when I was for Natasha? Asked Marie

"Yes and Natasha will be Alex's maid of honour so all you will have to do is follow her down the aisle, Alex has two nephews who are 7 and 8 who will be page boys and they will join you" said Amy

"Ok mommy can we go in pool after dinner? Asked Marie

"Yes but daddy will supervise you, I need to have a rest as I have to go to work early tomorrow to catch up with the study" replied Amy

"Penny I wanted to talk to you about my hours" said Natasha

"Ok go ahead?

"Well if I am going to reduce them, then perhaps I should start reducing them straight away, I am fine in the mornings so perhaps I should just work 9 till 2, Kelly is due back at work next month from maternity leave and Alex can work in the afternoons when I am not" suggested Natasha

"That's actually a good idea, Kelly can work the weekend shift as women's floor manager and Alex can do 12 until 6, I will be working a lot more as well to fit in all my clients before I stop in November" said Penny

"That's sorted then, also George if you want to stay with the kids in the pool after dinner please do, I need to go home for a rest, I am exhausted" said Natasha

"Finally, you do know it's not a bad thing to admit you can't do too much" said George

"I know and I realise I need to look after myself as well as these two inside me" replied Natasha

"Have you got spare swimming shorts here? Asked Sheldon to George

"Yes I left them in the annexe, I hope that's ok?

"Sure, probably a good idea" said Sheldon

A little while later Leonard took Archie and Corey next door to get changed as they wanted to join Marie and Richard in the pool, Sheldon took Marie and Richard up to get changed and Amy followed him

"Right kids, Uncle George is waiting for you in the garden, let me just get changed and I will be down" said Sheldon

"I think I will go in the hot tub for a few minutes to relax" said Amy going to her wardrobe and looking for her swimsuit

"Really well perhaps I will join you" said Sheldon coming up behind Amy and kissing her neck, Amy turned around and still in his arms, kissed him softly on the lips

"I thought you were supervising the children? Said Amy a few minutes later

"I am but something changed my mind" replied Sheldon leading her to the bed and lying down with her

"I wonder what that was" said Amy knowing just what Sheldon wanted

"You being a vixen that turns me on" replied Sheldon kissing her again

"My mom has the kids Saturday night until Sunday afternoon so perhaps after the engagement party we can have more fun time" replied Amy

"Will you wear the basque I bought you?

"I don't think it would fit me now" said Amy indicating her swollen belly

"Oh yes, never mind, let's just get changed so we can see to the kids" replied Sheldon groaning as his erection twitched against Amy's stomach

"Would you like some help with your problem? Asked Amy

"What do you have in mind? Asked Sheldon getting excited for what was to come

"I will show you" replied crawling down the bed and taking his erection in her mouth

"Oh boy" moaned Sheldon running his hands through Amy's head

"Did that work" said Amy a few minutes later while they were getting changed

"Yes but you know I want more" replied Sheldon

"Maybe later, we have already left them downstairs for long enough" said Amy taking Sheldon's hand and leading him to the garden and the pool house

Penny had brought Jess and Jack round the dogs were chasing each other round having fun when they heard a squeal from Daisy who then appeared to be limping

"Daisy come here" said Amy calling to her, Daisy limped over towards her and Amy sat down on the grass beside her and examined her leg but couldn't see anything wrong

"Maybe she just bent her foot the wrong way when they were playing? Suggested Leonard

"Perhaps but I will see how it is in the morning" said Amy patting Daisy's back and letting her go, she continued to limp a little but it didn't stop her chasing after the other dogs and pretty soon the limp had gone

_**The next day **_Amy arrived at the lab at 730 am, she was greeted by her assistant Grace who informed her that two of the monkeys had given birth while she was away

"What did you do with the monkeys? Asked Amy

"Dr Carter said to leave them there but not give them any alcohol or cigarettes until you came back" said Grace

"Ok, did the babies suffer any effects from the addictions?

"No we haven't seen any but then as both the monkeys were on the alcohol study which had been reduced for the past month, then I guess it doesn't effect them as much" said Grace showing Amy to the cage where the two monkeys with babies had been put

"Did you find out the sexes of the babies yet? Asked Amy looking at them

"No they wont let us look close enough, are we going to include the babies in the study?

"No and I think as neither Monkey has had a problem so far with withdrawal, then we shall give them to a private collection that I know of and bring in two more that I have as back up" said Amy

"When will that happen? Asked Grace

"I will make some calls now and probably we will have them by the end of the day" replied Amy

"What shall we do with these in the meantime?

"They can stay in here as long as they don't get upset, now I have some brain specimens to look at, call me if you need me" smiled Amy as she left the lab and went to her office next door, Dr Carter was walking down the corridor when she spotted Amy

"Hi Amy, you look well by the way" said Dr Carter

"Thank you, I have just given Grace the required information as to the monkeys" said Amy telling Dr Carter what she had said

"That's very good, now I am off on holiday at the end of August for three weeks, could I leave you in charge of the department then? Asked Dr Carter

"Sure that's not a problem" said Amy

"I will talk to you next week about anything you may need to do" said Dr Carter

"Where are you going by the way?

"I am off to visit my brother and his family in Sydney, they moved there about 5 years ago and we can only converse via Skype, so I thought I would treat myself, my husband is coming with me as well" replied Dr Carter

"Are you children going with you?

"Yes, all three are at College or University so they will be going back at the end of September, they are at different stages, my eldest is in his final year and my youngest will just be starting"

"Well I hope you enjoy, also I have to go to Harvard in the middle of September, I hope that will be ok"

"Yes of course, you already told me that and it will be the last time you can fly until after the baby is born" replied Dr Carter

"Oh yes I did, I better get onto these specimens then, I can already see there is a lot" said Amy looking through her office door to her own private lab area

Amy had two days of very productive work, the new monkeys arrived and Amy decided not to give them anything until after the weekend to let them settle in, on Friday night the group had their monthly Chinese food and vintage video game night, although there was very little video game play going on as the children required their fathers attention as Penny, Natasha and Amy had a busy two days at work and were starting to feel the tiredness creeping in

Amy and Sheldon had just gone to bed around midnight when there was a loud banging at the door followed by the sound of somebody running away, Sheldon looked out of the window and could only see the back on somebody running and jumping into a car further down the road

"Who was it? Asked Amy

"I don't know, they knocked and ran off, who would do that? Asked Sheldon going to close the window, he then heard a faint cry coming from the veranda below him, even Amy heard it

"Sounds like a baby? Said Amy as she and Sheldon went downstairs and opening the front door they found a baby in a basket with a note saying "sorry we can't look after her"

"Who would do such a thing? Said Sheldon picking the basket up and carrying her inside

"Somebody who can't cope I guess" replied Amy taking the baby out and checking it over "Well it's a girl and she still has her birth tag on her wrist"

"Ok, you look after her and I will call the police" said Sheldon

"Sure, let me go next door and ask Nancy, she's a nurse" said Amy putting the baby back in the basket and leaving the house, she saw Penny outside

"Ames what's going on, I heard somebody banging on your door"

"Yes it appears they have left their baby behind, go in if you like, I am just seeing if Nancy is in" said Amy

A few minutes later Nancy came back with Amy and the quiet of the night was shattered by the sound of sirens blaring, Penny had gone back to tell Leonard and he had brought Archie and Corey round and put them in the spare room while the police spoke to Sheldon and Amy

"Tell me exactly what you saw please Dr Cooper?

"All I saw was somebody running away, I only saw their back and then getting into a car further down the road, it's dark so I couldn't see the registration number" said Sheldon as Nancy examined the baby

"I think the baby is no more than two days old, I do know she was born at Pasadena General Hospital, I can tell by the tag because I work there"

"Do you recognise the baby? Asked the police officer to Nancy

"No today was my day off"

"You didn't see anything else that could be of any help? Asked the police officer

"No sorry, only that it was a dark coloured car, it was a couple hundred yards down the road going in the direction of East Washington Boulevard and there was this note left with the baby" said Sheldon passing the police officer the note

"Very well, would you both be able to come to the hospital with us, we need to make sure the baby is not in any danger" said the police officer

"I can tell you now from experience, that the baby is fine" said Nancy

"I will go with your judgement on this one" replied the police officer

"Sheldon can you go to the late night garage and get some formula?

"Of course, perhaps Leonard will come with me" said Sheldon looking to Leonard who nodded and followed him out

"How far into your pregnancies are you both? Asked the police officer noticing Penny and Amy's bumps for the first time

"We are both 22 weeks" replied Amy

"Ok, there is a chance we may not be able to get a foster parent in place until the morning, would either you be able to watch her until then?

"Yes of course, that's not a problem" said Amy as Nancy passed her the baby

"Presumably you are in touch with social services? Asked Penny

"Yes of course and sometimes these things take time but if somebody is willing to look after the baby until morning that will be very helpful" replied the police officer

"I wonder why they left the baby here though? Asked Penny

"Sometimes the people that do this often plan it out and they target families because they know the baby will be looked after" said the police officer

"Somebody has been watching us? That's kind of creepy" replied Amy

"That's true but also a compliment, oh hold on" said the police officer as a message came over the radio, he disappeared off towards the kitchen to hear it better

Sheldon and Leonard arrived back with the formula and Raj who had been watching from his front garden and wanted to know what was going on, Amy was cuddling the baby and stroking her hair

"Amy I will make a bottle up for her, also I got some nappies from Raj as well, seeing as Yasmin is still young" said Sheldon

"Thanks"

"Ok, what I told you about getting a social worker so late at night is true, but one will be here first thing in the morning, are you sure you are ok to keep her? Asked the police officer

"Yes, I have two other children so I know what to do" replied Amy

"Very well, I am just going to search the outside of your home, sometimes they leave clues, would you mind if I borrowed your one of your dogs? They are very good at sniffing out things" said the police officer

"Sure you can take Daisy, Daisy come here" said Amy clipping her onto her harness and passing her to the police officer, Daisy was very reluctant to go with the stranger, so she was swapped for Cassie who had already taken a liking to him

"Would you like me to come with you? Asked Sheldon

"No its ok, I will only be a few minutes" The officer returned a few minutes later and said he had found nothing and then left the house after taking Amy's number and promising to call her in the morning

"Sheldon will you get the cot from the garage, she can sleep in that after she has had her bottle" said Amy

"Amy hang on, Yasmin has recently stopped sleeping in her moses basket, so I can get that if you like? Asked Raj

"That probably works, thank you" replied Amy, Raj left and returned a few minutes later with the moses basket, Sheldon took it upstairs to their room and came back down where Amy was feeding the baby

"I still can't believe somebody would just leave a baby like that" said Penny

"I know, maybe she was scared, who knows" replied Amy

"Well we will leave you to it, call us if you need any help" said Penny

"Thank you" replied Amy

The baby slept through until the morning after her feed and when Marie came into Amy and Sheldon's bedroom at 7am she was curious about the baby

"Mommy did you have the baby?

"No, we are just looking after for the night" replied Amy not going into details

"But she wasn't here when I went to bed" replied Marie

"I know, it was an emergency, now daddy will take you downstairs and put the TV on for you" said Amy nudging Sheldon to get up, which he did, he returned a few minutes later

"Amy I don't think it's a good idea that the kids are here when the social worker arrives, it will cause too many questions, I just rang George and he will come and take them in a minute"

"That's a good idea actually" replied Amy as Marie could be heard shouting from downstairs

"Mommy there's somebody in the garden"

"What the hell" said Amy as Sheldon raced downstairs to the garden and found the door to the annexe open, Amy had already called Leonard for back up and he arrived within seconds to help Sheldon

"Marie did you see where the person went? Asked Sheldon as he went back into the house and brought Daisy with him to the garden

"It was a lady and she looked through the window and then went round the side of the house" replied Marie

"Ok go into the kitchen where its safe" said Sheldon, Marie did just that

Amy had come downstairs as the doorbell rung, she found a lady there

"Hello, my name is Janet Parker, I am from Pasadena Social Services" said Janet showing her ID card

"Oh good, you have got here when we have a situation, somebody just appeared in the garden and broke into our annexe"

"Are they still there?

"Yes my husband has taken the dog to check it out" said Amy leading her through to the garden

"I think I know who this lady is, she has had a history of having babies and giving them away, she is ok with me if I go up there" said Janet

"Has she got mental health problems? Enquired Penny from over the garden fence

"No but she has trouble dealing with real life" replied Janet as she entered the annexe with Sheldon and Leonard following her, she could be heard calling for the woman gently, she then appeared with Janet a few minutes later

"Sorry for scaring you all" said the woman

"Is it your baby that was left here last night? Asked Amy as George appeared through the side gate

"Yes and I left her with you deliberately, I often look out for families at the park and I see you there a lot with your kids and dogs and you all look so happy" said the girl

"What's your name? asked Amy

"Karen Garner and I am sorry for causing you trouble"

"That's fine but why didn't you want to keep the baby? Asked Amy

"I can't cope with children, I already had 3 taken away from me and I was scared about this one, especially with the father not around and she will do better without me" replied Karen

"Ok Karen we will take you out of here now, please do not come back here again, the baby will be taken into care" said Janet leading her through the side gate and out to the front where the police were waiting to take her away, she returned back to the house, where Amy had brought the baby downstairs and was feeding her

"Your very good with her" said Janet

"Thanks, I have two myself so it's all good practice for when this one arrives" replied Amy

"Is she really going to go into care? Asked Penny

"Well we have foster carers who are happy to take her until she can be adopted" replied Janet

"I wish I was in a position to do so" said Amy looking wistfully at the baby

"You can always put yourself on the fostering list, its easier to do than the process for adoption, there are still vigorous checks but we have a lot of successful fosterers" said Janet

"Oh maybe we can do that in the future" said Amy looking to Sheldon

"We can talk about it certainly" said Sheldon cautiously

"Now will you be pressing charges for the broken door? Asked Janet

"No it's easily fixable" said Sheldon

"Have you got a foster carer in mind? Asked Amy

"Yes and thank you for not pressing charges, I will pass that on to the police and hopefully Karen will stay away, she's a very troubled girl" said Janet

"How old is she? Asked George

"She's 25 and since she was 12 when she ran away from home, she has been in and out care and then hostels as an adult"

"Doesn't she want help? Asked Leonard

"She's been to therapy sessions but never stays for the whole session"

"Well my mother is very well know in psycho analyzing people and getting them to open up, I can give you her email address if you wanted to speak to her, she lives in New York" replied Leonard

"Thank you, what did you say your name was?

"It's Leonard Hofstadter"

"Oh your mother is Beverley? I've read all her books" said Janet

"Oh good, well here is her email address" said Leonard as Amy passed him a pen and paper

"Thank you, I will be in touch about what happens with the baby" said Janet taking the baby from Amy and leaving the house

"I really wanted to keep her" said Amy looking sadly out of the window at the car

"I know but she will be looked after elsewhere" said Sheldon

"I hope so, I also hope your mother can help her Leonard" said Amy

"Well I will call her later to explain and give her the details, she's very good at what she does" replied Leonard

"Do you still want me to take Marie and Richard to mine? Asked George

"No its ok but thank you for agreeing to it" said Sheldon

"No problem, I better get back and tell Nat what happened" said George waving and leaving, Leonard followed him out and went home also

"Do you think fostering would be a good idea? Asked Amy

"Maybe in the future yes, let's have this one first and we will see" replied Sheldon kissing her and patting her bump

"I can tell you for one thing, this baby will never be dumped on somebody's doorstep" replied Amy

"That's true and also we are solid as a family"

"That's true" replied Amy smiling up at her husband

_**Next chapter up soon**_


	53. Chapter 53

_**Carrying on from the same day as previous chapter**_

Saturday proved to be very busy, both Sheldon and Leonard worked for a few hours at Caltech doing various experiments and equations, they also had department issues to sort out and catch up with from their recent vacation and Penny had already arranged cover at the store on the women's floor, as Alex would not be working her usual Saturday hours due to the engagement party, so Natasha was working as well which left Amy with all the children but Bernadette and Kelly came over to help as well

Penny had got to the store for 10am as she had a client at 12pm and was planning on leaving at 3pm,so before that she set about sorting the rota for the next few weeks, with Natasha reducing her hours and Kelly not due back for two weeks, she needed to find a solution, Penny had put herself at full days for some of the weeks and after speaking with her most experienced employee Christine, she agreed to work the weekend shifts as well as 3 days during the week, she had also agreed with the men's floor assistant manager Scott that he would take over from George while he was on Paternity Leave for three months

Satisfied that everything was in place, Penny returned home and went to Amy's house, where Amy had a suggestion for Penny

"You know, I think its time for Marie to spend more hours at nursery, if she is starting school in September next year, she is going to have to get used to it, I think Richard can still go every day but with his usual half days" said Amy

"That's a good idea, Archie can join Marie for full days, Corey is about ready to go more often now as well"

"That way it will give my mom more time for herself as well and a little break before the new ones come along" said Amy

"Good idea, did you get a dress for the party tonight? You know it's formal?

"Yes I have one of the dresses I got from your store a while ago, I tried it on earlier and it still fits"

"Did you hear back from the social worker?

"No and I probably wont, she just said she would be in contact once the baby is settled with a new family, my mum will be here shortly to take all the kids to her house" added Amy

"Oh yes, where are they by the way?

"In the pool house or garden with Kelly and Bernadette"

"Bernadette's mom is taking Kelly and Bernadette's kids for the evening, which is a lot to handle" said Penny

"Yes, Kelly told me when she came over, also she brought Cinnamon with her to stay here overnight, so she is probably racing around with the dogs somewhere" said Amy

Not long after, Sheldon and Leonard arrived back to the house, Barbara arrived shortly afterwards in her people carrier and informed Amy that she had made a bid on a house that was opposite Natasha and George's house and it was them that told her about it

"It also has three bedrooms, so plenty of room for visitors especially as there will be at least 4 babies here at Christmas and extended families" said Barbara

"Well I am glad that you are moving closer" said Amy hugging her mother

"Thank you, I should be moving in there in a couple of weeks, once the owners have moved out" replied Barbara

"Well if you need any help, we are here if you need us" said Sheldon indicating himself and Leonard

"Thank you, George has offered as well, so that will be handy" replied Barbara gathering up the rest of the children's things and making sure the kids were strapped in the car properly

Penny and Leonard returned home to get ready for the party and Amy went up to have a long soak in the bath, Sheldon offered to give her a massage while she was in there, this led to them having coitus in the bath and having to rush to get ready for the party which started at 7pm

Sheldon, Amy, Leonard and Penny arrived at Raj's house at the same time that Natasha pulled up in the car with George, Kelly invited them and they saw that there was already quite a few people there, it was a formal dress party but an informal buffet style meal, Raj had borrowed extra chairs from Sheldon and Leonard and the first person Amy saw on entering the kitchen was Stuart, she hadn't seen him since he turned up on her doorstep one night a couple of years previously

"Hello Stuart, didn't think I would see you here" said Amy

"Well Raj invited me and not wanting to make myself look bad with the reasons for explaining why I didn't want to come, I just accepted the invitation" replied Stuart as Sheldon arrived in the kitchen and took in the scene, Leonard and Penny also came in

"Stuart" nodded Sheldon

"Hi Sheldon, how are you"

"Very well, Raj never said where you disappeared to when you left" said Sheldon

"Yeah that's because I asked him not to, I was in a bad place at the time but Raj helped me out"

"Where are you living now? Asked Penny

"With the money Raj gave me for the sale of the Comic Book store I was able to put a deposit down on an apartment in San Francisco with a comic book store below it, which I also run, its going well" replied Stuart

"I still don't understand why you didn't tell us" said Leonard

"I had my reasons but I can see you are all happy and expecting more children, congratulations" said Stuart extending his hand to Leonard who shook it and then Sheldon who looked at him curiously

"Come on lets get back to the party" said Amy taking a drink and walking out of the kitchen and taking Sheldon's hand

As Amy and Sheldon went in to the lounge, Alex and Mitchell arrived with both sets of their parents and one of Alex's brothers, the party got underway and carried on for several hours Raj had hired a DJ, soon the couples were dancing as well, Bernadette feeling sorry for Stuart and not knowing the reasons why he left, offered to dance with him and he accepted, he was also staying the night at Raj's house so couldn't escape.

Alex took the opportunity to talk to the ladies about her wedding dress while the guys chatted

"I was thinking about going to look next weekend if you would like to join me? Asked Alex

"Sure, as I said to Natasha, if you wanted something from the store let me know" said Penny

"Thank you, also Natasha if you find something you like for a maid of honour dress let me know, obviously you being pregnant it wont fit but it will afterwards, that's partly why we delayed getting married until March because we want you to feel comfortable" said Alex

"I did wonder and probably by March I will have lost a bit of weight from the pregnancy also"

"True, also as its still a few months until the wedding, no point in choosing outfits for the little ones, they will probably have grown out of the outfits by then" said Alex

"If you're getting married on the beach are you still going for a traditional wedding dress or something lighter? Asked Penny

"That's partly why I need to go and have a look, I liked Natasha's style of dress so maybe something similar, not sure yet" replied Alex

"What about you two having kids? Asked Amy

"Oh we will have children but not just yet, probably wait a year or so before we decide to have any" replied Alex

"Oh by the way Missy got married and she's also pregnant" said Amy as she explained the whole story

"Do you think Missy and Sheldon's mom and Meemaw would like to come to the wedding? Asked Alex

"I can ask and you can invite them" replied Amy

Throughout the party Amy was deliberately ignoring Stuart, she didn't want him to come near her after his ridiculous statements the last time they met at a party and she was now sitting on the sofa with Sheldon after becoming tired out from the dancing, Sheldon was playfully feeding her and they were giving each other little kisses, Alex and Mitchell danced together a lot, the DJ was booked until midnight and after Alex and Mitchell had requested their own special song, Sheldon and Amy did the same and soon the couples appeared again, Amy and Sheldon were swaying and kissing to their wedding song, they decided to go home afterwards

"Raj thank you for a lovely night but I am just about done" said Amy

"Glad you could come" said Raj hugging her and Sheldon

Sheldon and Amy went off to find Alex and Mitchell to wish them luck and said goodbye to everybody else, they arrived back at the house a few minutes later

"I fancy a dip in the hot tub, if you want to join me? Said Amy taking her swimming costume from the tumble dryer and passing Sheldon his swimming shorts

"You bet I do" replied Sheldon going to the kitchen to get some drinks for them and following her into the garden and to the pool house

"The hot tub doesn't appear to be working, so lets just go in the lounge instead" said Amy walking back in the house and easing herself on to the sofa

"Well we have the house to ourselves after all" said Sheldon sitting down next to her and kissing her

"We do and it would be a shame to not make the most of it" replied Amy returning the kiss

Sheldon put some music on and they lay in each others arms, kissing and cuddling for some time, before Sheldon helped Amy and they went to bed

"If we are going to do this, then the best position for me at the moment is me on top of you" said Amy as Sheldon stripped off his clothes and then helped Amy out of her dress, he started to kiss her shoulders and then walked her to the bed where they lay kissing and fondling each other before Amy moved on top of Sheldon and guided herself onto Sheldon's erection, as she felt him penetrating deeper into her, she leant down to kiss him as he fondled her breasts and then started to bounce on him, both of them moaning in contentment and desire for each other until Sheldon felt his orgasm coming and he released his load into Amy, a few minutes later when he had recovered they resumed kissing with Sheldon this time using his hands to make Amy orgasm

"I think we both needed that, hope it was as good for you as it was for me" said Amy afterwards

"It was more than good Amy, it was fantastic as always, your not hurting in anyway are you?

"How do you mean?

"From your stomach, that was some physical stuff going on there" replied Sheldon patting her bump

"Oh no that's fine, I would tell you otherwise" replied Amy smiling at him and then yawning

"I can see you are tired, shall we spoon while we sleep?

"That seems to be the best way and we can lie in as much as we like in the morning, my mom is not bringing the kids back until 2pm" said Amy kissing Sheldon and then turning over with Sheldon wrapping his arms around her waist so they could spoon together

"Goodnight Amy love you"

"Love you more" replied Amy turning her head to smile at him as he turned the light out

_**The next few weeks**_ were busy for all of the gang, Amy was left in charge of the Neurobiology department while Dr Carter was away, Natasha was working her reduced hours and found that it suited her well and she wasn't so tired in the evening because of it, everybody helped Barbara move into her new house and Amy's new monkeys got settled into the addiction study, Penny was working more and the kids were enjoying spending all day at nursery, Alex found her ideal wedding dress which turned out to be perfect for the beach and she had also found a minister to perform the wedding as she couldn't decide between the gang as to who she wanted to perform it, Rose also started primary school which she enjoyed and told Marie and Archie about and Kelly went back to work at the weekends with Raj looking after the children

_**The 2**__**nd**__** week of October, **_Missy and Brett paid a weekend visit, they had their 12 week scan not long before and Missy wanted to introduce Brett to her extended family and friends and Sheldon had invited all the friends over for a pool and pizza party as it was also Amy's birthday

"Are you both coming for Christmas? Asked Sheldon

"Yes of course" replied Missy

"You can stay in the attic conversion where you are now then, Mom and Meemaw can have the annexe, the spare room will no longer be spare by then" said Sheldon

"Did you find out the sex of the baby? Asked Amy

"No the doctor couldn't tell as the baby wasn't facing us, never mind though it's only 8 weeks until the next scan" said Missy

"You've started to get a little bump as well" said Natasha

"Yes, are you still working?

"Yes but only until the end of the month, if I can make it by then, I reduced my hours after my 22nd week scan but then I had to reduce them more so I am only working 3 half days a week now" replied Natasha patting her bump

"You look like you are about to burst" said Missy looking at the bump and seeing movements coming from it

"It feels like it as well"

"By the way I have decided on godparents, mom won't let me get away with not christening this one" said Missy

"Who have you chosen? Asked Sheldon

"You, George and Brett would like his sister Julie to be godparent" said Missy

"Thanks, talking of Brett, shall we go and get more acquainted playing video games, there is enough of us here to do teams I think" Said Sheldon

"Sure why not" replied Brett as Leonard, Howard, Raj, George and Mitchell followed Sheldon to the game room, this left the kids who were in the pool with only Bernadette, Alex and Kelly to supervise them until Amy sorted the problem by calling them out

"You can all go back in later, if something happens it's not like Penny and I can rush into help" said Amy to Marie who was complaining

"Fine, mommy can we go upstairs to my room then?

"Yes of course" replied Amy as all the kids ran inside and went to Marie's room to play

"Amy when are you giving up work? Asked Bernadette

"Around the middle of November, just depends on how I feel really" replied Amy

"How are you feeling now? Asked Missy

"Ok, if I go by previous pregnancies then so far I have had less problems" replied Amy

"Same here, I have already informed my clients that I wont be available and have passed them onto my staff, though some of them are happy to wait until I return" said Penny

"Are you still filming the Christmas advert for Macys? Asked Missy

"Yes they are doing it earlier this year on the 20th November because of me being pregnant, I will be only three weeks from giving birth then anyway" replied Penny

"How's the wedding plans going Alex? Asked Amy

"Yes very good, the house we stay at sometimes has been booked for that weekend so there will be somewhere for you all to stay, Mitchell and I will be staying at my parents house to ensure there will be enough space" replied Alex as the doorbell could be heard ringing, Sheldon who was closest went to answer it and came to the garden with somebody that Amy recognised

"Hi Amy" said Karen

"Karen, what are you doing here?

"Well it was Leonard I wanted to see and there was no answer next door"

"Let me go and get him" said Sheldon going back into the house

"So how have you been doing?" asked Amy

"Fine, the social worker let me see the baby again before she was adopted out" replied Karen as Leonard appeared

"Hi Leonard, I just wanted to say thank you for giving the social services your mothers email address, I have been in contact with her and she's been very helpful and I will be flying out next week to see her"

"No problems, she can be overbearing at times but I guess she knows her stuff and if she can help you figure out your problems then that can only be a good thing" replied Leonard

"Well I better be going and thanks again" said Karen turning to leave

"Hang on, did you want to stay for a drink and Pizza? Asked Amy

"No I can't, I have a 9pm curfew for the hostel" said Karen

"Well at least take some pizza with you, Sheldon will you get a container and put some pizza in please? Asked Amy

"Sure"

"You don't have to do that" replied Karen

"Its ok, I wanted to" replied Amy

"Also sorry for scaring your daughter that time" said Karen again

"No problems, your welcome here anytime" said Amy as Sheldon came back with a container which contained the pizza

"Anyway cheers for this, see ya" said Karen as Sheldon led her back out of the house

"What was that about? Asked Missy

"Oh it's a long story" replied Amy

"Well I am here all weekend" replied Missy, Amy told her what happened and not long after the boys came back from playing the video games to toast Amy's birthday

_**Next chapter up shortly**_


	54. Chapter 54

_**6 weeks later**_

It was 1pm on the 20th of November and Natasha could not of picked a worse day to go in to labour, Penny and Amy were at the filming of the Macy's advert, George, Kelly and Alex were all at the store and the only person close enough was Barbara and she was just on her way to pick up Marie, Archie and Corey from nursery as it closed early on Fridays, when she got the call from Natasha, she quickly turned around and make her way back in the direction of Natasha's house, Natasha had slipped down the stairs after her waters broke unexpectedly and she couldn't get up

On the way to Natasha's house Barbara had phoned Bernadette's childminder who looked after Rose, Rebecca and David and asked if she could stay with the children and explained what was going on, she then called Sheldon and Leonard at work to ask them to go and pick up the children from the nursery

Since she had moved opposite, she had been given a key for Natasha's house and found her still laying on the floor in agony

"Natasha have you called your midwife?

"Yes but she's with another patient, I've called an ambulance so that should be here soon and George is with a client but Alex has passed the message on so hopefully he will get to the hospital in time" replied Natasha

"Ok, let's get you sitting up" said Barbara helping her, in the distance the ambulance sirens could be heard

"Thank you for being here with me" said Natasha

"Oh no worries, replied Barbara as a contraction hit Natasha and she grabbed Barbara's arm, the ambulance pulled up outside and very quickly they took Natasha into the ambulance, Barbara went with them and called George on the way

"Hi Barbara I am just on the way to the hospital, as soon as Alex told me, I passed the client on to her, he was very understanding and I bolted out of there, is Natasha ok?

"Yes but she's just having a contraction at the moment, we should be at the hospital shortly" replied Barbara

"Ok tell her I love her and I will be there as soon as" said George hanging up

Once they were at the hospital, Natasha was given gas and air as the contractions became more frequent, the babies heartbeats were being monitored and they were both fine, a new midwife had now taken over Natasha's care

"Ok, I just need to check how far dilated you are, if that's ok" asked the midwife, Natasha nodded in response as another contraction hit, she was still gripping Barbara's hand, the contractions as well being more frequent were also gaining in pain

"I hope George gets here in time for the birth" said Natasha

"Is George your husband? Asked the midwife

"Yes"

"Well you are 7cm's dilated so it could be soon" said the midwife

15 minutes later George arrived, he looked exhausted with worry as he saw Natasha in the bed, gripping Barbara's hand

"Nat what happened" asked George kissing her head

"I thought I was having Braxton Hicks but as I was walking down the stairs, my waters broke and I slipped down" replied Natasha taking another hit of gas

"I knew I should have stayed at home" commented George

"Well you were not to know" replied Natasha

"I will go now and leave you two to enjoy the birth" said Barbara attempting to release Natasha's hand

"No please stay, you have been so great and if I can't have my own mum here then you are just as good" replied Natasha

"Are you sure?

"Yes very and if George agrees with me, I would like you to be one of the twins godparents" said Natasha

"Are we getting them christened? Asked George

"Yes, you know it will keep your mom happy" replied Natasha

"In that case I say yes and perhaps the first twin that is born, Barbara can be god parent to" said George

"You guys are too much" said Barbara with tears in her eyes

"I tried to phone Penny and Amy but they are still at the studio" said George

"Yeah they will be in there until at least 230pm" replied Natasha, she tried to get comfortable but another contraction hit as the midwife came back in

"Well that's only another 10 minutes time but I am sure Leonard and Sheldon will get hold of them before we do" said Barbara

"Can I have a water birth?

"Unfortunately the one we have is in use, I would suggest maybe walking around for a bit, that sometimes helps and we have a medicine ball which you can sit on" replied the midwife

"Oh that might work, thanks, oh help that hurts" moaned Natasha as the contraction which just ended was followed almost straight away by another one

"Hmmm maybe you are further along already, I just need to check" said the midwife

"Can I have a drink? Asked Natasha

"Just iced chips for now"

"I will get them" said George

"You are now 9cms dilated, your twins appear to be in a hurry" said the midwife

_**Meanwhile back at Sheldon**__**'**__**s house,**_ he was entertaining the children who wanted to know where Barbara was, Leonard had a lecture to give so was only able to pick Archie and Corey up and drop them back with Sheldon

"Natasha has gone into labour early and Barbara is helping her because there was nobody else available at the time" said Sheldon

"When is mommy coming home? Asked Marie

"Soon, remember she has gone with Penny and Richard as they are filming the advert with Daisy and Jack" replied Sheldon

"Oh, can we have spaghetti for lunch? Asked Marie

"Yes of course, Archie and Corey do you want the same?

"Yes please Uncle Sheldon" replied Archie and Corey together

"Can we go in the pool daddy? Asked Marie

"Not at the moment, there is only one of me to look after all three of you, maybe later when mommy comes home" said Sheldon as the doorbell rang, he went to answer it and found Raj there with Cinnamon

"Hey Sheldon, Leonard said you would be alone with the kids, so I thought I would help out until Amy and Penny get back" said Raj

"Yeah Uncle Raj is here" shouted Archie and Corey together, Marie picked Cinnamon up and cuddled her, Cinnamon was now 9 years old and starting to show her age

"Thank you Raj that's very helpful but if Kelly is at the store why are you not with your children?

"Kelly is not due to pick them up until 5 so why disturb the routine you know" said Raj

"Did you want any lunch? I am making spaghetti with hotdogs" said Sheldon going back to the kitchen

"No its ok, I've already eaten"

_**Back at the hospital **_things were progressing well, Natasha was now back in bed and the midwife had declared that she was almost ready to give birth, she told Natasha to follow her instructions and there was a team of midwifes and nurses ready to take care of the babies once they were born if there was a problem

"Ok Natasha I need you to push now" said the midwife, Natasha gripped Barbara and Georges hands and pushed as hard as she could, the first babies head was now crowning

"And relax until your next contraction" said the midwife, this carried on until the head fully emerged and after a few more pushes the first twin arrived

"Congratulations, the first one is a girl" said the midwife showing her to George and Natasha before she was taken to be cleaned and weighed

"How long before the second one is born? Asked George

"It may only be a few minutes" replied the midwife

"Do you have a name for the girl? Asked one of the nurses

"Yes Ellie" replied Natasha

"Well Ellie weighs in a healthy 5lbs" said the nurse passing her to Natasha to hold briefly

"Hello beautiful" said Natasha as the baby gazed up at her with wide eyes

"She's gorgeous just like you" said George kissing her and the baby, he noticed Barbara was crying again and reached over to pat her hand which just made her cry even more

"Another contraction is coming" said Natasha, the nurse retrieved Ellie and placed her in the crib next to the bed and the midwife went through the same procedure until several pushes and contractions later Toby appeared and started crying immediately

"That's always a good sign" said the midwife, showing him to them and passing him to the nurses to clean up and weigh, Ellie was still staring wide eyed at Natasha from her crib as Toby was brought over to Natasha and George

"This one weighs 5lbs 8 ounces, they are both healthy and fine for 2 weeks early, congratulations" said the midwife

"Thank you" said Natasha and George together as Toby was placed in Natasha's arms, George picked up Ellie, Barbara took photos of them together and forwarded them with an explanation to Natasha parents and to Mary, then onto the rest of the group

The first phone call came less than a minute later from a frantic looking Hannah who was surprised to see that Natasha had given birth, she video called Barbara's phone

"Hi Barbara, thanks for the pictures and for being there for Natasha" said Hannah with tears in her eyes

"It's not a problem, I shall pass you to Natasha now" replied Barbara

"Hi Nat, look at you giving birth without me" said Hannah laughing

"I know I never do things by the book" replied Natasha smiling at her

"Now which one is which? Asked Hannah

"Well this one is Toby and George is holding Ellie" replied Natasha

"How are you feeling now? Asked Hannah

"Ok a little tired but I guess I will get used to that" replied Natasha

"Your dad is on the computer now booking flights for us to come as soon as possible and we will probably stay until after Christmas now, especially with Penny due to give birth soon as well" said Hannah

"Where are you going to stay?

"Well we will split our time between the two of you but we also recognise that Mary and Meemaw will want to spend time with you and the babies, so we can sort that out when they come as well" said Hannah

"You can always stay at my place, I live opposite them now" said Barbara

"Oh that might work, thank you" said Hannah as both babies started to cry in unison

"I haven't fed either of them yet, mom can I call you back? Asked Natasha

"Of course" replied Hannah ending the call as Georges phone started to ring, he saw that it was Mary and went through a similar conversation he had with her that Natasha had with her mom

The midwife came back in while Natasha was feeding the babies and checked on how she was doing

"Yes I am feeling fine, they are feeding well" said Natasha

"Good and if you wish you can go home later today once you have rested"

"Really? That quick? Asked George

"Yes its standard procedure even with twins, they are both healthy and so is mom" replied the midwife

"Barbara can you phone Penny and see if she can pick us up? Asked Natasha

"Erm Nat I have my car remember? Said George

"Yes but you don't have the baby seats and Penny can get them" said Natasha leaning down to kiss Ellie's head

"Oh yes" replied George

"I will ask Penny to get you a change of clothes as well, also to drive us all back, she can probably use the mini van, I have left the keys in your house" said Barbara

An hour later Penny arrived with Amy after collecting Natasha's clothes and some clothes for the twins

"Oh my goodness they are adorable" exclaimed Penny on seeing them

"They are very sweet" said Amy as the midwife came in again

"Goodness you two are not having babies just yet are you? Asked the midwife seeing Penny and Amy standing there with their huge bumps

"No but all three of us were due on the same day, my sister beat us to it" replied Penny

"I wish I could give birth very soon though" added Amy rubbing her back

"Actually I remember you from your previous pregnancy, you had to have an emergency caesarean" said the midwife

"Yes that's true, I'm sorry but I don't remember you" said Amy

"That's ok, you were pretty drugged up that first day, how is your little boy now?

"Oh he's great"

"Maybe I will be here when you both give birth, Natasha you and the babies can leave now whenever you are ready" said the midwife leaving the room again

"Just so you all know, Barbara was brilliant today and Amy you are so lucky to have her as your mom, she will be one of Ellie's godmothers as well" said Natasha

"Well mom and I have got on great the last few years and I know I am lucky to have such a supportive parent" said Amy

"Oh stop it, you will make me cry again" said Barbara

Natasha eased herself out of bed and found she was ok pain wise and leaving the babies with Penny and Amy set about getting herself ready with help from George

"Are you going back to your house first? Asked Penny as they left the hospital, George drove the people carrier back while Barbara took his car back to his house

"I think so and then everybody can come over" said Natasha

30 minutes later they were back at home, Natasha and George were sitting on the couch holding the twins when Sheldon arrived with Marie and Richard, Leonard, Archie and Corey followed them into the house

Barbara set about making tea for everybody while the kids admired their new cousins

"Tasha can I hold one please? Asked Marie

"Yes which one?

"Which are you holding? Asked Marie

"This is Ellie and Uncle George is holding Toby, you can tell the difference in that Ellie is blonde like me and Toby has brown hair like George" replied Natasha

"Marie if you sit down on the armchair here, then I will pass the baby to you" said Sheldon seeing that Amy was also sitting down and looked exhausted, he retrieved Ellie from Natasha and placed her in Marie's arms, she looked fascinated at her, then kept looking at Natasha, then Amy and Penny together

"How does the baby come out? Questioned Marie

"Oh dear" commented Leonard

"Never mind that, what do you think of the baby? Asked Sheldon trying to change the subject

"I like her, can I hold Toby now? Asked Marie

"Yes but wait until Archie has finished, you will have to take turns with the children Marie" said Sheldon

"Ok Daddy" said Marie as Leonard took his turn holding the babies, Marie went off to the kitchen to play with Murphy and Brandy

Sheldon went over to where Amy was sitting on a dining room chair to make sure she was ok

"I'm fine, could do with an early night though" replied Amy

"Come sit on the armchair with me and you can sit on my lap and be comfortable" said Sheldon helping her to stand, they sat down together and cuddled while watching the children with the twins, Amy was feeling very protected by Sheldon with the way he was taking care of her, she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a quick kiss as he rubbed her belly

"I forgot to ask, how did the taping go? Asked Natasha

"Yes very well, the agency was happy that I am pregnant as it appears to fit in their time line of having a big family, the dogs were very well behaved as well, I think though the star was Richard, smiling at everything and acting perfectly" said Penny

"He was good wasn't he" said Amy proudly

Shortly afterwards, Howard, Bernie, Kelly, Raj, Alex, Mitchell and the kids all arrived to greet the new arrivals, they also had news from Hannah and Wyatt who would be arriving in three days time, Mary was also coming with Meemaw but Missy and Brett would join them nearer towards Christmas, even though she really wanted to skip work early

"George and I have decided on godparents for the twins and again please don't be offended if you are not on the list, as Amy pointed out previously we would trust all of you" said Natasha

"Who are you having? Asked Penny

"Well Barbara, Sheldon and Alex for Ellie and for Toby we have chosen Penny, my dad and Missy" replied Natasha

"Me really? Asked Alex in surprise

"Yes you are the one that saw what we didn't and encouraged us to move in together and for that we are grateful" said Natasha

"In that case I accept" replied Alex hugging Natasha and then George

"If we have any more then we can spread the duties around a bit more" said George

"I think all of us are godparents to various children so none of us feel left out" said Amy

"I wonder who will give birth next" said Kelly

"Well as long as there is no drama like I had with the last one, I don't mind" said Amy

"Same here, also George your maternity starts from today in case you were wondering" said Penny who was quickly texting some of her staff to rearrange duties

"Thanks" replied George

"I'm so happy I can't believe it" said Natasha

"Well believe it because it's all very real" said Penny

"I know and to think I said I wanted to concentrate on work and not have a family, look at me now" replied Natasha gazing at her babies

_**Next chapter up soon**_


	55. Chapter 55

For the three days that Natasha and George had the twins before the parents arrived, they received support from all of the group, mainly Penny and Amy who were both now on full maternity leave and they had arrived with breakfast the day after Natasha had given birth, after dropping the kids with Barbara so as not to overwhelm Natasha and George

"How was the first night? Asked Penny

"Well they both woke up separately but only once which was good but then they have been awake since 6am" said Natasha

"How are you feeling after the birth now though? Any Pains? Asked Penny again

"A bit of achyness but then I just had two babies pushed out of me, so I kind of expected it, Mary skyped us late last night and she loves the babies, they are coming the same day that our parents are" replied Natasha as Amy busied herself getting the breakfast sorted into dishes

"Thanks for this you two" said George smiling at his sister in laws

"No problems, just tell us to go if it gets too much for you" said Amy

"How do you mean? asked Natasha

"Well I know that having people around after giving birth can be a bit overwhelming and you probably just want to be on your own with the babies"

"No don't be silly, they are your family too" replied Natasha as Ellie started to whimper from her basket

"Here let me" said Penny picking her up

"I bet you two cant wait for yours to come now" said Natasha

"Last night was probably the worst nights sleep I have had, nothing was comfortable" said Penny

"You know usually when I can't get comfortable, the best position for me to lie in, is with Sheldon spooning me, I know it's a bit TMI but it works, maybe you should try it Penny" said Amy

"Yeah we tried that and it didn't work" said Penny

"What are you two doing for the rest of the day? Asked Natasha

"Well Leonard and Sheldon have gone to work for a couple of hours and then we are going to go to The Comic Book Store for part of their Christmas presents, there are some comics they are after, which Raj has set aside for us" replied Penny as Ellie stopped crying and was looking up at Penny

"By the way George, Sheldon asked if you would be interested in going Paintballing tomorrow, all the guys will be there and we can come and help you with the twins" said Amy

"What do you think Nat? I can stay here if you don't want me to go" said George

"I think you should go and like Amy says I won't be alone" replied Natasha smiling at him

_**Later that day **_Amy and Penny went to the comic book store where they received a surprise, instead of Raj's assistant who was usually there, it was Stuart instead and Raj was with him

"Hi Raj, Hey Stuart" said Penny

"Hi Penny, Amy" replied Raj

"Why are you here Stuart? Asked Penny noticing Amy was looking at him suspiciously

"The lease on the flat and shop ran out and Raj offered to give me a job here and he is putting me up until I get a place" replied Stuart

"Thought you said at Alex's engagement party, that things were going well? Asked Amy not trusting him one bit

"Yes I did but I missed being here with my friends" said Stuart

"It took you 2 years to work that out? Replied Penny

"Yes" replied Stuart shortly

"Raj do you have the comics we asked about? Said Amy eager to get out of the store

"Yes of course, did you want to stay for a drink and catch up with Stuart? Asked Raj

"Not really, I am very tired and Sheldon has the kids and we only planned to be out for a short time" replied Amy

Raj gave them the comics and Amy and Penny left the store quickly

"You know Penny I am sure Stuart is up to something" said Amy

"Are you sure?

"Yes, why else would he come back here of all places, if he wants to cause trouble then he will get trouble" said Amy

"I don't think he would do that" said Penny as Amy's phone beeped

"I don't believe this, I knew it" said Amy

"What?

"Unknown number with a message saying "Meet me later" pretty convenient don't you think? Said Amy

"Meet him but take Sheldon with you, I will mind the kids" said Penny

"Are you crazy? I don't want to meet with him" said Amy getting into the car and driving off with Penny

"Reply back saying come to the house then but make sure Sheldon answers the door and stays with you, did you tell Sheldon why Stuart left all of a sudden?

"No, all he knows is what happened at the New Years party when Stuart was drunk and making stupid comments" replied Amy

"Then perhaps you need to tell him" said Penny

"I think you are right"

"Pass me your phone and I will reply to Stuart" said Penny, Amy did this and a reply arrived shortly afterwards saying he would be there at 6pm

"I will come in with you while you tell Sheldon if you like" said Penny

"Thanks but I think I will be ok but come round just before Stuart gets here, that way there can't be a scene" replied Amy

"Sure no problems" said Penny as Amy pulled up outside Penny's house to drop her off and then drove into her own drive and let herself into the house

Sheldon greeted her with a kiss and a cuddle

"The kids are upstairs playing in their rooms" said Sheldon

"Good because I need to tell you something and I wish I had told you before but I didn't think it mattered before" said Amy walking into the lounge and easing herself down onto the sofa

"What's wrong?

"You remember at the New Years party when Stuart was mouthing off to me?

"Yes, I remember him saying that you used him to get to me or something like that"

"Well also at that party he kept following me around when you were not in sight and that wasn't the last of his comments and he turned up here a few days later when I was alone to apologise for what he said, although he meant what he said and then afterwards that is when he left LA and now he is back working for Raj at the Comic Book Store and he sent me a message asking to meet him" said Amy

"He wants to meet you? What the hell does he think he is playing at" said Sheldon

"You're not mad at me for not telling you before?

"No of course not, I guess with him leaving quickly it didn't really matter but if he is planning on hitting on my wife then I need to stop him" said Sheldon

"He's coming here at 6pm, I figured that way, you will be here and there is nothing he can do" said Amy

"Then perhaps we should ask Leonard and Penny over"

"Already did that and Penny agreed, I should of told you all this before" said Amy

"Maybe, but you don't need this stress with you being pregnant" said Sheldon cuddling her

"Then we need to make some sort of plan for when he arrives, see what he has to say before doing anything" said Amy

"You are right, we have some time before he gets here though" replied Sheldon picking Amy up and taking her to the kitchen and placing her on a kitchen chair while he made her a drink

At 530 Leonard and Penny arrived with the children who went upstairs to play with Marie and Richard, Stuart arrived on time at 6pm, Sheldon went off to answer the door

"Hi Stuart, please come in" said Sheldon standing aside

"Oh hi Sheldon, thanks" replied Stuart

"You seem surprised to see me?

"No no, after all you do live here" replied Stuart

"Come through to the lounge" said Sheldon as Stuart followed him, he was distracted by Daisy who obviously remembered him and was growling at him

"Why is she growling, is she going to bite me? Asked Stuart

"Maybe she is picky about who she likes" replied Sheldon as he sat down next to Amy, Stuart then noticed Leonard and Penny on the other sofa but he couldn't move for Daisy in front of him continuing to growl at him

"So Stuart this is unexpected, apparently you are back here to stay now? Asked Leonard

Amy decided that Daisy had growled enough at Stuart now so called her over to her and was petting her for a few minutes, Duke then appeared and goosed Stuart from behind

"Ah get off" said Stuart moving away from Duke "Yes I am back now, San Francisco is lovely but all my friends are here" replied Stuart

"Would you consider Amy to be one of your friends? Asked Sheldon taking Amy's hand and kissing it, Amy smiled lovingly back at him

"Well yes" replied Stuart

"That's interesting because the last time you spoke to her was to accuse her of using you and then pretty much stalking her by turning up here when she was alone" said Sheldon

"I don't think that's how you treat friends" said Leonard innocently

"I think you have it all wrong" said Stuart

"Hardly, I was there both times remember" said Penny

"Look at you acting like you are both butter wouldn't melt" said Stuart looking to Amy and Penny

"What? Said Penny

"Both of you used me to get what you really wanted and I am left here all alone" replied Stuart

"Stuart you and I went out twice about 10 years ago, hardly the romance of the century" replied Penny sarcastically

"I went out with you because I thought you were nice that is all and it turns out I was wrong" said Amy

"Funny how you both ended up with the people you are with now, Sheldon was even blatant enough to formalise your relationship on our date" said Stuart

"Stuart it is your fault that you are alone, you could of found somebody if you really wanted to, not stalk people that you had a couple of dates with years ago" said Amy

"I would suggest taking a look at yourself" said Sheldon standing up and walking Stuart to the door with Leonard following him, Daisy decided she still didn't like him and was now barking loudly and aggressively at him

"What do you mean? asked Stuart above the noise

"If you ever come back here again or I find that you are bothering Amy or even Penny you will be so sorry" replied Sheldon shoving him out of the door, down the veranda steps and walking him to the gate, Raj was driving by and stopped at the commotion

"What's going on? Asked Raj from his car window

"Your friend here has been stalking my wife" said Sheldon pushing Stuart again for good measure and telling Raj what had gone on

"Is that why you came back? Asked Raj

"No but it seems that my presence here is not wanted" replied Stuart walking up the road

"You got that right" shouted Leonard after him

"He's a very lonely man, I understand that from his point of view" said Raj

"Yes but before you met Kelly, you never went around stalking or pestering women" said Sheldon

"I know, I don't think he will bother you all again" replied Raj driving the short distance to his own house

Sheldon and Leonard both went back inside to the lounge

"Sheldon you know I didn't use Stuart to get to you, don't you" asked Amy

"Of course I do, you are I were just friends then but you going out with Stuart made me realise that I could of missed out on having you as my girlfriend rather than my friend who is not a girlfriend" replied Sheldon

"You know Stuart told me that you said my name when you were kissing him" said Leonard to Penny

"Um, I don't remember that" said Penny looking embarrassed

"Well it doesn't matter anymore" replied Leonard pulling Penny up from the sofa and kissing her

"Do you really think he will stay away this time? Asked Amy

"He better and if Raj is going to keep him at the comic book store then its best that you and Penny stay away from there" said Sheldon

"This may also affect our plans for when we have the babies" said Amy

"How do you mean?

"Well with Raj and Kelly being closest and not wanting to overload you and Leonard, we were going to ask them to mind the children when I went into labour"

"Well my mom and Meemaw will be here and the kids are good for them" said Sheldon

"Oh yes, I forgot they are coming early now because of the twins" replied Amy

"Do you think they would mind ours? Asked Penny

"Of course or even Barbara would if plans change" replied Amy as the doorbell went

Sheldon went to answer it and found Raj with Stuart

"What are you doing here, I thought I told you to get lost" said Sheldon

"Sheldon, Stuart is here to apologise" said Raj

"Really, now this should be interesting" replied Sheldon as Marie came downstairs

"Daddy what was all the noise just now?

"Its nothing Marie, go back upstairs please" replied Sheldon bending down to kiss her head and ushering her back upstairs, Leonard, Penny and Amy came out into the hall

"I just apologised to Raj as well, I lied when I said the lease was up in San Francisco and I am going back tomorrow and I won't bother you again" said Stuart looking at the floor

"What's happened to you that has caused you to be like this Stuart? Asked Leonard

"I have diagnosed depression and I know that's an excuse but I am truly sorry" replied Stuart turning round and leaving the house and trudging down the road

"He's almost making me feel sorry for him looking like that" said Penny

"Don't" said Amy fiercely

"I did say almost" replied Penny

"Did you want to come in for a drink Raj? Asked Amy

"No I had better get back, Kelly is doing dinner" replied Raj waving and leaving

"You guys staying? Asked Amy

"Yes why not"

"By dinner I also meant takeaway" said Amy collecting the pile of takeaway menus from the kitchen

"That's good enough for me" replied Penny

_**On Tuesday the following week **_Wyatt and Hannah arrived and with Mary and Meemaws flight arriving just 10 minutes after theirs, Leonard borrowed the people carrier to pick them up and he and Sheldon met them at the airport and drove them straight to Natasha and Georges house to meet the twins, then not wanting to crowd the house too much went back to their own homes

"Oh my goodness, I want to take them home with me" said Hannah on seeing them

"Well you can't mom" replied Natasha laughing

"We were wondering first off where you wanted to stay first? Asked George

"Oh we sorted that out in the car on the way here, Hannah and Wyatt will stay here for a week and Meemaw and I will stay at Barbara's as she so kindly offered, we can all rotate around each other for the next month or so, especially with Penny and Amy having theirs soon" replied Mary

"Mom which one did you want to hold first? Asked Natasha

"I think Ellie" said Hannah as George passed her over

"Mom you can have Toby and then you can pass him to Wyatt or Meemaw afterwards" said George

"Sheldon and Amy are having a little get together this evening and we are all invited" said Natasha

"Oh that's good, I want to see my lovely grandchildren" said Meemaw

"When is Missy coming? Asked Hannah to Mary

"Oh not until December 19th, she also has her 20 week scan on the 2nd of December" replied Mary

_**The next couple of weeks**_, Natasha and George received plenty of help from everybody but they also had been given time on their own to deal with the babies by themselves and they were grateful for that, the Macys advert was shown the first week of December and after Missy's 20 week scan, she and Brett skyped Sheldon at home, she had already text George and Natasha to go there so she could tell everybody her news

"We just wanted to let you know we are having a girl" said Missy

"Oh congratulations, do you have a name yet? Asked Sheldon

"Yes Ruby" replied Missy

"That's a pretty name" said Amy

"Ruby Cooper sounds nice" said Natasha

"Ah no it wont be Cooper, I have taken Brett's surname which is Wilson, so it will by Ruby Wilson" replied Missy

"You could always double barrell" said Amy

"Oh Ruby Cooper-Wilson does have a nice sound to it" replied Missy, they chatted for a few more minutes before signing off

"What are you and George planning to do for your first wedding anniversary? Asked Mary

"We hadn't even thought about it, what with having the twins" replied Natasha

"Well we can have them for a couple of hours if you wanted to go out for dinner or a long lunch to celebrate" said Mary

"That's very nice of you, we will think about it and let you know" replied Natasha smiling at her

The following weekend, Penny and Amy were in the lounge chatting whilst Sheldon and Leonard were playing with the children, Mary and Meemaw were both now staying at the house, Amy had back pains since waking up and Penny had come round to complain about the same thing

"I need to go for a walk or something" said Amy trying to get up and then stopping as a pain went through her

"You ok?

"No I think its starting" replied Amy

"I don't think you are the only one" said Penny as Marie came running into the lounge to ask Amy something

"Oh good Marie, please go and get Daddy and Leonard" said Amy

"Ok Mommy" Marie went off to get Sheldon and Leonard who both appeared within seconds and with Mary

"What are the odds that both of you would go into labour on the same day" said Mary out loud

"I don't know but as we were due on the same day, it's not really unlikely" replied Amy as she realised she was having a contraction

"Ok Amy don't panic I am here for you" said Sheldon clutching her hand

"Penny are you having contractions as well? Asked Leonard

"Not yet but I am guessing the back pain I have been having all day might be something to do with that" replied Penny

"Neither of you are contracting regular enough for me to call an ambulance are you" said Mary

"No, I guess we have some time before that happens" replied Amy as Sheldon tried to help her up

"Can somebody please call my mom, she is supposed to be here with me when I give birth" said Amy

"You know today she has gone shopping in Beverley Hills with Hannah and Wyatt" said Sheldon

"Mary will you come with me then? Asked Amy walking around clutching her back trying to get comfortable

"Sure but what about the kids and Penny?

"Well my mom said she wanted to be at the birth of this one but as they are out shopping in Beverley Hills, I guess that's out of the question" said Penny as her first contraction hit her

"Well we can't leave the kids with Meemaw, she's too old to look after all four" said Mary

"Call Alex, she is not working" replied Penny in between puffs

"Penny even if your mom is not at the birth, I will be and that's what matters" said Leonard

"I know" replied Penny as Amy keeled over in pain and her waters broke

"I guess its time for me to take you to the hospital" said Sheldon as Alex arrived to a scene of chaos with Mary handing Amy some towels to clean herself up

"Alex thank you for helping with the kids" said Amy as Sheldon ran upstairs to collect the bag that had been packed especially for the occasion

"No problems" smiled Alex "Mitchell will be here in a minute to help, he was just out on a run so has gone for a shower"

"Penny will you be ok for a minute while I collect your overnight bag? Asked Leonard

"Sure sure" replied Penny watching Sheldon help Amy down to the car, the people carrier had been left outside the house so Sheldon decided to use that especially with Penny so close to giving birth as well

"Are you coming with us? You look like you should do" said Sheldon as Penny had a contraction

"Yes I think that's a good idea and I apologise in advance if my waters break in the car" said Penny as Leonard reappeared, he helped Penny into the car with Mary joining them and phoning Hannah and Barbara to tell them what was going on

_**Next chapter will have the births and Christmas and New Year**_


	56. Chapter 56

Sheldon pulled into the hospital car park and with Mary and Leonard's help, got Amy out who was having a contraction and then helped to get Penny out and put them both on a nearby bench while Mary waited with them as he and Leonard went into the hospital and came back with two nurses and two wheelchairs

"Would you both be ok sharing a room? Asked the midwife once they were both in the maternity ward

"Yes I have no problem with that" said Penny

"Yes fine" said Amy

"Good, you can go in this room here" said the midwife showing them in

"Also we will put your beds side by side, save any embarrassment" added the midwife, another midwife came in and it was the same one that had helped Natasha

"Hello again you two, I will be here to assist you both with my colleagues help here, now once you are settled I will be back to check how far dilated you are" said the midwife as Amy and Penny got into the beds

"Mary did you get hold of my mom yet? Asked Penny

"No all the phones are currently going to voicemail, so I left messages" replied Mary who was between Amy and Penny and unsure about what to do

"Penny do you want me to do anything? Asked Leonard

"No just stay here with me" replied Penny

"Oh crap this hurts" said Amy as a contraction hit her

"Is it worse than previous? Asked Sheldon

"Yes" said Amy through gritted teeth

"My waters have just gone" said Penny a few minutes later as the midwife came in

"That's ok, if you are going to get changed then we can just put clean bedding on, also we are just going to connect the heart monitor machines so we can hear the babies heartbeats" said the midwife

"Thanks"

"Ok Amy if you are ok, I need to check how far dilated you are"

"Sure go ahead"

The midwife checked Amy and then just as she was about to tell her how far she was, Amy had another contraction

"Ok, you are currently 7cms so it won't be long now" said the midwife

"Thank you" replied Amy settling back into the bed, Sheldon was still holding her hand throughout

"What did you say your name was? Asked Penny

"Its Ruth, I just need to check you now if that's ok" replied Ruth

The midwife checked Penny and found that she was the same as Amy at 7cms dilated, her contractions which had been less frequent than Amy's were now coming every five minutes

"I hope Alex is ok with the kids" said Sheldon

"I'm sure she will be and she has Mitchell and Meemaw with her, maybe see if Kelly will go over" replied Amy

"Maybe I'm just worrying too much" said Sheldon patting her hand and wiping her forehead with a cold flannel

40 minutes later Amy's contractions were getting closer being only two minutes apart and she was using the medicine ball to help her as the bed was too uncomfortable, Penny had also been given a medicine ball, with Leonard and Sheldon attempting to help them by rubbing their backs and Mary still unable to get hold of Barbara or Hannah

"Leonard did you say if your Mom was coming over here for Christmas? Asked Penny in between contractions

"I don't know if she is coming for Christmas as such but she said she would be here for a few days when the baby comes" replied Leonard

"Ok Amy I think we need you to get back in the bed, you are so close now" said Ruth

"Sure" replied Amy as Sheldon helped her up

"Now remember follow my instructions and you will be fine" said Ruth as Penny was also helped up, she too was very close but a little behind Amy in terms of progress, Mary was splitting her hand holding between the two of them

"Contraction is coming" said Amy tensing her body as it hit her

"Ok I need you to push now" said Ruth after checking down below

"Is the baby coming? Asked Sheldon

"Yes, you can look if you like"

"I am fine here"

"Oh Shelley don't be a baby" said Mary who got up and looked and then grimaced at what she saw

"Ok and push again Amy"

The babies head was now crowning and after another few pushes and screams from Amy at the pain, his shoulders came out, followed by the rest of his body a few moments later

"Congratulations, we will just clean him and weigh him" said Ruth quickly showing her Daniel and taking him away as Mary's phone rang, she saw that it was Barbara, so quickly told her what happened and passed the phone to Amy who had a quick chat with her mom as the midwife brought Daniel back

"He is very big, he weighed 8lbs 10ounces, everything is ok" said Ruth passing her the baby,

"Sheldon look he is here and he is so handsome" said Amy gazing at the baby

"I know and well done you, how do you feel?

"So happy that I was able to give birth normally" replied Amy leaning over to kiss Sheldon

"Amy he really is gorgeous" said Penny in between contractions

"Thank you, hello little man" said Amy as Daniel opened his eyes fully and looked at her, he also licked his lips a little and attempted to smile

"Shelley you do that, talk about like father like son" said Mary who had gotten up to see the baby more clearly

"Do I? asked Sheldon

"Yes maybe you do it without realising though" said Amy smiling at him

"Penny your mom is on the way here, they were out of signal range" said Mary going back to Penny

"Thanks but I don't think she will make it now" replied Penny

"Well you have Leonard and I am not going anywhere if you need a hand to squeeze"

"Please stay" said Penny as her midwife coached her through her own birth and baby Holly arrived a few minutes later much to Penny's relief and Leonard and Mary could have their squashed hands back

"I will just take her to be weighed and cleaned" said the midwife, she returned a few minutes later

"She weighed 7lbs exactly, did you have a name for her?

"Yes we are calling her Holly" replied Penny as the midwife passed her the baby

"Penny you finally have your little girl" said Amy watching

"I know and I am so happy, look Leonard, she's beautiful"

"Just like her mother then" replied Leonard kissing her

"Would you all like a cup of tea? Asked Ruth

"Yes please" said Amy and Penny together, Leonard and Sheldon then took turns holding the babies, then Mary held both of them and then both couples swapped babies

"What time is it? Asked Penny

"Its only 730" replied Leonard

The midwife returned with tea and with Hannah, Barbara and Wyatt in tow, they greeted their children accordingly and then held the babies

"Which of you gave birth first? Asked Hannah as she held Holly after Amy passed her over

"Amy did" said Penny

"Mom can you take pictures and then send them to our friends? Asked Amy to Barbara

"Sure" replied Barbara doing just that and also for Penny and Leonard, various members of the group text back to offer congratulations, Kelly and Raj had gone to Sheldon and Amy's house to help with the children

At 9pm the midwife came back into the room to check on Amy and Penny and the babies

"How are you both feeling?

"Yes I feel fine, I just went to have a quick shower and feel better for it" said Amy

"Same here" said Penny

"Well the babies are ok, so if you wanted to go home then you can" said Ruth

"I think I want to go home" said Amy

"Me as well" said Penny

"I shall just get your discharge papers then" said Ruth

A few minutes later they were in the car going home, they all went into Sheldon and Amy's house and found that all of their social group were their to greet them

"Well done sis and she has blonde hair just like you" said Natasha getting up to hug Penny

"Thanks" said Penny

"Mommy want to see Holly" said Archie

"Mommy can we see Daniel? Asked Marie

"Sure let me sit down first" said Amy as Sheldon passed her the baby and made Marie and Richard sit down on the sofa

Penny sat down on the opposite sofa with Archie and Corey either side of her and placed Holly into Archie's arms, Leonard sat next to him to help

"Congratulations both of you, we wont stay that long, as it is getting late" said Bernadette

"Thanks, in fact why doesn't everybody come over for tomorrow afternoon and you can all meet the babies properly? Said Amy to the group and Penny

"I agree with that" said Penny

"Sure that works" said Bernie

"Did Mary stay with you for the births? Asked Natasha

"Yes Mom, dad and Barbara arrived afterwards" said Penny

"I think giving birth and making plans shows why you can't always make plans to have certain birth partners" said Amy

"That's true I guess" replied Natasha remembering her own labour

"Where are the twins anyway? Asked Penny looking around not seeing them

"Oh they are upstairs sleeping, with Meemaw watching over them" replied Natasha

"So who gave birth first? Asked Kelly who was holding Yasmin who at 10 months old was curious about the new arrivals and wriggling in Kelly's arms

"I did" said Amy

"Yes and that means Sheldon will take the first month's maternity leave" said Leonard

"Leonard are you sure, I don't mind going second" said Sheldon

"No it's ok, we agreed and its only 10 days until Caltech breaks up for two weeks and Penny has all her family and your family to help" replied Leonard

"I will email Siebert in the morning to let him know" said Sheldon

"I left the dogs in the kitchen, I figured you already have a lot of chaos without them getting excited as well" said George

"Good idea" said Amy smiling at him and watching Sheldon helping Marie pass the baby to Richard to hold

"Mommy are you having anymore? Asked Richard looking at Daniel

"I don't think so" said Amy

"But I want a sister" said Marie

"I know, life doesn't always give you what you want Marie" replied Amy

"Well it should" replied Marie

"Alex and Mitchell thank you for helping Meemaw with the children" said Amy

"Oh it was no bother, good practice for when we have ours" replied Mitchell

"You know are you sure Missy will make it to the wedding? Asked Alex

"I think so, why? Asked Sheldon

"Well if she had her 20 week scan this week then her due date is around the time of the wedding, I wonder if she realises that" replied Alex

"Well even if she can't make it, we can video skype it to her like we did with our wedding" said Amy

"Will you still come to the wedding? Asked Alex

"Yes, Alex don't worry about it, there is still 3 months to go until anything happens and none of us will miss your wedding" said Amy

"We will stay with Barbara tonight, give you kids some space" said Hannah and Wyatt

"If Natasha and George are ok with it, then Meemaw and I will stay at their place" said Mary

"Nobody is forcing you" said Sheldon

"I know but you will all appreciate the time alone Shelley" replied Mary

The group stayed for a few more minutes, having quick holds of Holly and Daniel before promising to return at Amy and Penny's request for 2pm the next day

Penny carried Holly back next door while Leonard walked Archie and Corey round, they were greeted by Jess and Jack curious to see what Penny was holding and Leonard went upstairs to put Archie and Corey to bed and then went to get the moses basket and Penny placed Holly in it and then sat next to her

"I still can't believe I have a girl, this is jus amazing" said Penny a few minutes later after just staring at her

"I know, you will be able to dress her up in girly things" replied Leonard

"Are the boys asleep?

"Yes they dropped off straight away"

"I think that's probably what we should do" said Penny

"Sleep while she sleeps is a good idea" replied Leonard leaning down to kiss Penny

"You are a wonderful husband" replied Penny

"Thank you and thank you for giving me three fantastic children" replied Leonard smiling at her

"We should Skype my mother before bed, I haven't told her yet" said Leonard

"Oh yes" replied Penny as Leonard fetched his laptop and rang Beverley

"Hi Mom" said Leonard on seeing her, he noticed she was in bed

"Leonard you do realise it's the middle of the night here in New York, why are you calling?

"Penny had the baby and we wanted to show you" replied Leonard as Penny sat down next to him and showed her Holly

"Congratulations, how was the birth?

"Painful but ok, are you coming to see her? Asked Penny

"Yes I will check the flights and my diary in the morning and let you know"

"Sorry for waking you Beverley" said Penny

"That's quite alright, I don't mind if there is a proper valid reason" replied Beverley

"Talk to you in the morning Mom" said Leonard signing off

"Come on lets go to bed before we fall asleep down here" said Penny afterwards

"Do you wan t a drink?

"Just hot milk" replied Penny

Meanwhile next door a similar scene was happening, Marie though had refused to go to bed and was sitting on the sofa holding Daniel and not letting Amy or Sheldon near him

"Marie you need to go to bed, it's very late" said Amy

"Can Daniel sleep in my room?

"No, he will be in our room with Daddy and I" replied Amy

"Can Daddy read me a story before I go to bed? Asked Marie

"Yes of course, now let Amy take Daniel so she can feed him and I will take you upstairs" replied Sheldon

The next day, Penny using her and Leonard's laptop Skyped Belinda and Sarah simultaneously to tell them of her news, while she was doing this, Sheldon with help from Leonard went to the supermarket to stock up on food for lunch, Penny afterwards then brought the children round to Amy's and were chatting about their respective nights

"Did Daniel sleep through?

"No he woke up once to feed and then for a nappy change and Marie after agreeing to go to bed if Sheldon read her a story then decided she wanted to stay in the room with us and declared that Daniel was hers to look after" replied Amy

"Getting territorial over the baby I see" said Penny

"Yes, I hope it's just a phase, how was Holly?

"Same she woke up for a feed around 3am and then dropped off back to sleep until waking us up at 7am" replied Penny

"We Skyped Missy last night and she said she would Skype again to see Holly and the twins later" said Amy

"Oh good" replied Penny as the doorbell went, Amy went to answer it and found Barbara with Mary, Hannah and Meemaw, Sheldon and Leonard were just pulling up in the car also

"We have come to cook lunch, I know you like to do it but you both have just had a baby, so let the grandparents take control" said Mary once she was in the lounge gazing at Daniel and Holly who were in the moses baskets side by side

"Sure, where's Dad though? Asked Penny

"He will be along shortly, he is making the most of grandfather duties while we are out of the picture" said Hannah

"Amy you never talk about your dad, is he still around? Asked Penny suddenly

"No, he died before I was born and mom brought me up by herself" replied Amy

"What did he die of? Asked Penny to Barbara

"He was killed in a hit and run, he died instantly so presumably he felt no pain" replied Barbara

"Am sorry to hear that" said Penny patting her shoulder

"Yes, well these things are sent to test us but he left Amy a trust fund, which was helpful for her getting her PHD"

"Do you miss him? Asked Mary

"I used to but not anymore, it's been so long now that you move on" said Barbara

"I still miss my husband sometimes even though he was a useless drunken beggar" said Mary

"Anyway enough of the sad talk, we have two babies here for you to coo over" said Amy

"Yes of course, Shelley did you get Champagne? Asked Mary

"Yes and Amy requested we get her usual Sunday dinner special so we will be having roast chicken and the usual that goes with it" replied Sheldon

"I hope you bought more than one chicken then because there is like a small army coming to lunch" said Penny

"Yes I know and we bought three, also Leonard and I with help from the men will bring your table over, otherwise there wont be enough space to sit for the adults, the kids have their own table which they can use" replied Sheldon

"Raj said he has a long foldaway table and chairs in his garage we can bring over as well, the kids can sit on that" said Amy

"Good point" replied Sheldon

"Ok, we are just going to get lunch on the go" said Mary disappearing into the kitchen with Barbara and Hannah

"Penny can I please hold Holly? Asked Marie

"Of course sweetie, Leonard can you bring her over, getting up is too much trouble at the moment and I am very comfortable" said Penny

"Sure" replied Leonard picking Holly up and with Sheldon's help with making Marie sit down on the sofa placed Holly in Marie's arms, she looked at her for a long time before addressing Amy

"Mommy I still want a sister"

"Yes I know you do but I can't promise anything" said Amy

"How did the dogs react to Daniel" asked Penny as the dogs chose that moment to come into the lounge and over to where Marie was with Holly and slump down onto the floor in front of her

"Very well, as you can see they are being all protective" replied Amy

"Can I hold Daniel? Asked Archie

"Yes of course, come and sit next to me and I will pass him over" said Amy

"No Mommy, Daniel is mine" said Marie shouting and almost dropping Holly, Sheldon managed to support Holly's head while he took her off Marie

"Marie, Daniel is your brother and you are holding Archie's sister and he is not upset that you are holding her, now stop with the nonsense before I send you to the stairs for a timeout" said Amy

"Sorry mommy" said Marie looking suitably contrite

"You need to apologise to Leonard and Penny as well, you could of hurt Holly then by jumping and shouting" said Amy

"Sorry Uncle Leonard and Auntie Penny" said Marie

"That's ok but like mommy says just be careful" said Penny giving her a little hug, Marie jumped down off the sofa and waited for Archie to give Daniel back to Amy and then went upstairs together to play in her room

Lunch was a great success with everybody bonding over the babies, including the twins who at three weeks old were becoming more alert to the world around them, Missy skyped as well and cooed over the babies

"Also I will be coming earlier than originally planned" said Missy

"When are you coming? Asked Sheldon

"Next weekend, I got the Ok with my boss to have a week unpaid holiday, so I will be arriving early on Saturday, Brett will come the following week" replied Missy

"Missy you will need the money for the baby" scolded Mary

"Yes but Brett is not exactly short and he will provide the majority for us and I want to see my nephews and nieces' so much"

Shortly after Missy Skyped them, Beverley sent Leonard a message to say she would be arriving in Pasadena on Wednesday and staying until the following Monday

_**Next Chapter will Anniversaries, Christmas, New Year and more, thought it would be best to separate them**_


	57. Chapter 57

On Monday Leonard went to work and had just arrived in his lab when he received a call from Siebert asking him to go to his office immediately, Leonard went straight away

"Good morning Dr Hofstadter, congratulations on your baby" said Siebert offering his hand

"Thank you" replied Leonard shaking his hand and then sitting down

"Now I know that you and Sheldon agreed that whoever had their baby first would take paternity leave immediately and the other later, well I think we can scrap that"

"How do you mean? asked Leonard

"Well its coming up for Christmas and I am feeling generous, you and Sheldon have completed most of the department duties and anything left over, your PA can sort out"

"Are you saying I can go on Paternity leave now? Asked Leonard trying to clarify

"Yes, Dr Cooper emailed me pictures of both of your babies and it's only fair that you get to spend quality time with your family" replied Siebert

"Thank you so much" said Leonard getting up

"I would suggest going to your PA and just getting her up to speed on what needs doing and then you can go and don't come back until the 11th January, that gives you both the one month that you requested" said Siebert

"Of course" said Leonard shaking Siebert's hand again and going off to see his and Sheldon's PA, after speaking with her and clearing his email box, he was able to leave by 11am and drove home, Penny was very surprised to see him

"Why are you home?

"Siebert was very generous and said I can take Paternity leave now" said Leonard

"Oh that's fabulous, Holly has been so good this morning" replied Penny

"Good to know, I have a question, something that just came to me"

"Ok?

"You being pregnant for the Macys commercial, will they want Holly to appear next year?

"I hadn't even thought about it, I can ask Claire to find out though"

"Where are Archie and Corey?

"Mom and dad have taken them out to the park with the dogs" replied Penny

"Come and sit down in the living room with Holly then" said Leonard leading Penny into the lounge where they sat cuddled together on the sofa with Holly in Penny's arms

"You know I love you very much don't you" said Penny to Leonard

"I know and I do you as well" replied Leonard

"Am just so happy at the moment, its like I could literally burst with happiness" said Penny as Leonard put his arm around her and pulled her in for a kiss, Penny responded with passion for a few minutes

"I know we can't do anymore at the moment" said Leonard rubbing his head against Penny's as Holly began to stir

"True but we have each other and that's what matters" replied Penny leaning into Leonard for another cuddle, which was how Wyatt and Hannah found them when they returned

"Hi you two, neither of us were sure if you wanted another dog but we just bought one for you for Christmas, Jack and Jess both get on with her" said Hannah as Archie and Corey came running in

"Oh actually I had been thinking about it but we are fosterers at the local humane society" replied Penny

"So you're not mad then? Asked Wyatt

"Of course not, where is the dog anyway? Penny noticed they hadn't come in with any of the dogs

"Wyatt will go and get her" replied Hannah, Wyatt returned a few moments later with Jack, Jess and a smaller Jack Russell that had similar colour markings to Jack but a female

"She is lovely, come here" said Penny to the dog, she came over straight away and Penny was pleased to see that she was friendly

"We got her from the humane society, her name is Bella and she is just over a year old" said Hannah passing over the lead and harness for her, Penny noticed that Bella was wearing a pink collar

"Leonard can we keep her? Asked Penny

"Of course, she is very sweet, I hope that she gets on with next doors dogs as they spend a lot of time together" replied Leonard

"Well the other two tend to follow whatever Daisy does and she is very friendly to all dogs so I think it will be ok" replied Penny as she watched Archie and Corey playing with the dogs on the floor

_**As Christmas approached **_Raj, Kelly and the kids were invited to Bernadette's parents for Christmas dinner along with Mrs Wolowitz, the Coopers and Hofstadter's would be having a joint family Christmas at Sheldon and Amy's house, as they were now all one big extended family, Alex and Mitchell were going to the beach house in Malibu with both their families and everybody had agreed to have an informal lunch at Raj and Kelly's on Boxing day, the store was also open with it only being closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day, the 27th as it was a Sunday and New years day, both Alex and Kelly were on the rota working that week also.

Beverley arrived on the Wednesday as arranged, Leonard went to pick her up from the airport and they arrived back at the house with just Penny and the children, Wyatt and Hannah would be coming later for dinner but were staying at Barbara's while Beverley was there

"Hi Nanny" said Archie hugging Beverley's legs

"Hello Archie, how are you? Said Beverley patting his head

"We have a sister now" replied Archie

"Yes so I see" said Beverley as Penny brought Holly over to her to hold

"Let me take your bags mother, would you prefer the loft conversion or the annexe? Asked Leonard

"I think the loft conversion is fine" replied Beverley taking Holly and holding her for a few minutes until Holly started to whimper and Penny took her off to be fed

"Are you still staying until Monday? Asked Leonard

"No I have appointments Monday morning so I shall be leaving on Sunday, were they any specific plans?

"No not really only dinner tonight with Penny's parents and then Sheldon's sister Missy is arriving Saturday and a get together has been arranged next door" replied Leonard

"Ok, while I am here I will be visiting Karen, she came over to New York and she told me about her problems and she appears to be facing up to them and I will see her tomorrow afternoon"

"Oh that's nice, where are you meeting her?

"At a café around the corner"

"Oh yes, the one where Sheldon and Amy met"

"I wouldn't know about that" replied Beverley as Penny returned with Holly who had stopped crying, Corey who was very shy also came into the lounge with her

"Hi nanny"

"Hello young man" replied Beverley as Corey decided to sit next to her and cuddled up to her, Beverley cuddled him back in a way which made Leonard feel strange and weirdly comforted that she would do that for his children, when she never did that to Leonard as a child

Wyatt and Hannah arrived for the meal and they had a pleasant evening together with Beverley and on Saturday morning, Sheldon and Mary went to the airport to pick Missy up and bring her back to the house, Amy was delighted to see her

"Look at you, with a baby bump as well" said Amy hugging her and patting her bump

"I know, looks like I am the last in the family to procreate, now lets see my nephew" said Missy

"Sure, George and Natasha will be here in a few minutes, they had a last minute nappy change to do" replied Amy

"Lovely" said Missy as Amy passed Daniel to her "Well isn't he just adorable, shame he looks like Sheldon though" said Missy poking her tongue out at Sheldon

"Very funny" replied Sheldon doing his breathy laugh

"The plan for this afternoon is to have lunch just with the family and later on everybody is coming over" said Amy

"Auntie Missy" shouted Marie running into the room

"Hi Sugar, how are you?

"Ok, mommy won't give me a sister though" replied Marie, Amy just sighed in response

"Well I am having a girl and Penny and Natasha have just had girls, they can be kind of like sisters cant they?

"No" replied Marie folding her arms

"Just pretend then" said Missy as Leonard and Penny arrived with the kids, her parents and Barbara, Marie and Richard took Archie and Corey upstairs to play

"Hi Missy" said Penny greeting her with a hug and kiss on the cheek

"You and Amy both look well seeing as you only had them a week ago" said Missy

"Well we both had surprisingly short labours, or at least it felt like it" said Amy

"Hope this one is quick then" replied Missy

Missy passed Daniel to Sheldon and then took Holly from Penny

"By the way Alex has offered to take you to the store whenever you like, if you wanted anything" said Penny

"I might just take her up on that" replied Missy smiling at Holly who was awake and looking at her

Penny received a call from Raj a few minutes later, saying there was a problem at the Penny Blossom unit, he came over straight away

"As you know they are closed from the 23rd until January 2nd but Amanda has informed me that half the staff there have been struck down with a flu bug and wont be able to go in for a few days until they recover, which pretty much wipes out next week, she also said that while they have enough blossoms made required to send out before Christmas, they don't have enough staff or time to do it all" said Raj

"Well we can always get some agency staff in and do it that way" said Penny

"Yes I agree, also Kelly and I will go in and help out, Bernadette's childminder has recommended a good childminder, she already has Bernie's kids so putting another three kids on her will be too much at short notice and I was wondering if any of you would be able to help pack up some of the deliveries as well?

"I would be happy to help" said Missy

"How many deliveries are left to box up? Asked Penny

"2000 by the end of the week, the rest are ones that can wait"

"Penny I know you probably don't want to leave Holly so early but you have people here to look after her if you wanted to go in" said Hannah seeing Penny's dilemma

"Ok but as I am breastfeeding I can't leave her all day, I can bring her with me, I shouldn't really be doing anything at all though" said Penny

"You don't have to come, I wasn't saying it so that you would" said Raj

"I would rather you stay at home but I will understand" added Leonard as he cuddled Holly

"Yes I know but it's the business and its very important to me, we don't want to lose customers" replied Penny

"So that's four of us" said Raj accepting her reply

"Make that five" said George after he had a whispered chat with Natasha

"Are you ok with that Nat? asked Hannah

"Yes, I have all of you to help if I need it and it wont be all week after all" replied Natasha

"Penny would you like me to come with you and watch Holly while you work? Asked Barbara

"That would be very helpful thanks and Mom and Dad can help Leonard with Archie and Corey as Nursery has now closed for three weeks over Christmas" replied Penny as she and Raj made plans for the following week, they also decided to get some agency staff to help so that the deliveries would be quicker to box up, in the end Penny only needed to work three days as they completed the packing up quickly

Over the next two weeks before Christmas, lots of plans were made, Christmas trees and decorations were put up and it had been decided that there wouldn't be a big present giving display on Christmas Day between the adults and that just the children would get presents at lunch.

Natasha and George despite not wanting to leave the twins for too long agreed to let Hannah and Mary mind them while they had lunch together at The Olive Garden on the 23rd of December to celebrate their first wedding anniversary, they had given each other necklaces with lockets on them with a picture of Toby and Ellie and George at breakfast had presented Natasha with a bouquet of Carnations as was traditional with one year anniversaries

"It feels strange not having the babies with us, I feel kind of lost" said Natasha when they had finished eating and were walking hand in hand to the car park

"I know but the good thing about having a large family is that they are all willing to look after them for us, just make the most of the free time because soon enough they will be crawling and walking and getting into all kinds of scrapes" replied George

"That's true, thank you for the gifts" said Natasha

"You're worth it" replied George stopping to kiss her in the middle of the car park

"I just realised that they are already a month old" said Natasha when they finally stopped kissing and got into the car

"Time flies when you are busy" said George as they shared another kiss before going back to their house

The next day was Sheldon and Amy's turn to celebrate their 6th wedding anniversary, it had been arranged for Marie and Richard to spend the previous night at Barbara's house but Daniel had stayed and had slept since 1am, Sheldon and Amy woke up together and greeted each other with a lingering kiss

"Happy anniversary Amy" said Sheldon

"Same back to you Dr Cooper" replied Amy running her hands over his chest and kissing him again

"Oh don't do that please, especially as we can't do anything about it just yet" said Sheldon laying back and groaning as he realised he had an erection

"Then maybe when I am able to resume coitus it will be extra special" said Amy unable to stop herself from playing with his arousal

"Yes sure but first you need to do something about this" said Sheldon indicating his arousal, just as Amy _was_ about to do something more to help him, Daniel woke up and announced his hunger by crying very loudly

"I will have to see to him, maybe you can go have a long shower" said Amy as the doorbell rang

"Haven't got a choice now" said Sheldon getting up to answer it, he already knew that it was the florist delivering flowers for Amy

"These are for you" said Sheldon a few minutes later when he came back upstairs with a bouquet of mixed Roses

"Thank you" replied Amy giving him a kiss

"Now usually Roses are not traditional for 6 years but I know how much you like Roses" replied Sheldon

"They are beautiful" replied Amy smiling at him

They had breakfast and then just before lunchtime Barbara came back with Marie and Richard and leaving Daniel with her, Sheldon and Amy went to their usual café for a meal and to have some more alone time before returning back to the house to complete preparations for Christmas lunch

The next day the Cooper-Hofstadter's enjoyed a festive feast of various means, all the children were very happy with their choice of presents and after dinner when everybody was chilling out in the lounge, Mary decided to make a toast

"To the four new babies and another on the way with Missy and to both our families" said Mary raising her glass to everybody

The following day was spent at Raj and Kelly's house, they were holding an informal sit anywhere you like lunch and the children were delighted to see each other and the same room that Sheldon used in his house for the games room had been made into a kids playroom at Raj's house so the kids all played in there for the majority of the afternoon, leaving the adults to chat and cuddle the babies

"What are we going to do about New Years Eve? I know we usually have a party but with the new babies, we were not sure if you would be doing anything" said Raj

"Maybe everybody can come over to us and we can have a party there" said Amy

"Are you sure?

"Yes and the pool house is heated so people can have a swim if they want to" replied Amy

"How's Bella settling in? asked Kelly to Penny

"Very well, the same day we got her, we took her out with the other dogs and they got on fine, maybe we can introduce her to Cinnamon soon" replied Penny

"Yes that would normally be a good idea, but recently she's become a bit deaf and a bit grumpy so I don't know if that would work very well, she's upstairs in our bedroom at the moment staying out of the way which is why you haven't seen her" replied Kelly

"She is almost 10 now though" said Raj

"Deafness and grumpiness tends to happen when you get older" said Meemaw who was now 90 years old (_just wildly guessing here as the show never mentioned her age and me adding on 6 years_)

"You are never grumpy around us though" said Sheldon

"I never said I was Shelley dear" replied Meemaw patting his hand

"Alex how go the wedding plans? Asked Amy

"Yes pretty much everything is sorted out, only the kids outfits need buying and Natasha has bought her outfit and I just hope the day is sunny rather than cold" replied Alex

"I've not tried the outfit on yet, I can guarantee that it will fit by the time of the wedding though" said Natasha

"How much weight did you put on for the pregnancy? Asked Hannah

"I don't know I didn't weigh myself but I am being careful and am doing little bouts of exercise when I can" replied Natasha

"Well I hope I can come, it just depends on this one" said Missy

"Its ok if you can't, we can Skype it to you" said Alex

_**In between Boxing day and New Years Eve **_the group made their own plans, Kelly and Alex were working and the grandparents again helped out with the babies and the older children and on New Years Eve, Daisy, Duke and Cassie had been left at Penny's house while the party went on, Sheldon had arranged for fireworks to greet the new year and most of the children were enjoying themselves in the pool with supervision from various adults, Sheldon with help from Leonard had been out and bought all the food and drink for the party and Sheldon was cooking some of it on the BBQ, once that was done he was able to join in the party with everybody else, Amy had only had one glass of Champagne at Christmas Dinner and on Boxing day and had decided to save a glass for when the New Year came round

"Ok everybody, 2020 is about to arrive" shouted Amy above the noise and Wyatt had taken over from Sheldon with the fireworks to cheers and celebrations from all in the group

"Happy new year Amy" said Sheldon when the fireworks were going up

"Same to you, here's to a very happy 2020" replied Amy clinking glasses with him and leaning up to kiss him

_**Next chapter up soon**_

_**I had to go back in my own story to remember what year I was up to!**_

_**I also realised whilst doing that that back in Chapter 43 I had gotten the wrong presents traditionally required for the 5**__**th**__** wedding anniversary, hopefully that does not spoil the enjoyment too much**_


	58. Chapter 58

_**Now in the year 2020**_

On the 2nd of January, Missy and Brett returned home for work purposes, Mary, Meemaw, Hannah and Wyatt were going home on the Monday afterwards to give the couples space on their own to adjust without them helping for a week before Sheldon and Leonard returned back to work, George would be returning back to work on February 24th which would give Natasha enough time to get into a proper routine with the twins, Amy had a suggestion on the first Chinese food and vintage video game night that was taking place since before the twins had been born back in November

"Seeing as you are going back on Monday, why don't we all take the kids and dogs out to Brookside park, I feel like I have hardly been out since having Daniel and I am sure the kids would be happy as well"

"When do you want to go? Asked Penny who was feeling the same

"How about tomorrow around lunchtime, we can pack up a picnic for each of the families and just go" replied Amy who was cuddled up with Sheldon in the armchair

"We are in" said Bernadette and Howard

"Raj will come but I am working at the store" said Kelly

"Well Kelly darlin, Raj can have help with the kids from us, that's what we are here for" said Mary

"Only if you are sure Mrs Cooper" replied Kelly after they exchange a look with each other

"All the years you have known me and you're still calling me Mrs Cooper? Stick to Mary please and I am sure Hannah wouldn't mind helping would you?

"No of course we wouldn't mind" replied Hannah

"Yes us as well" said Natasha and George

"That's settled then" replied Amy

"Penny are you going to New York to see Sarah at Bloomingdales? I know you and Raj usually go to negotiate for the collection you have there in January" asked Natasha

"No, Sarah is going to come here instead, she already had plans to visit the Bloomingdales stores on the West Coast so she will be stopping with us for one night when she does" replied Penny

"You know we had the health visitor round today to see the twins, Toby has nearly doubled his weight in 6 weeks, Ellie is still a little behind though" said Natasha gazing at her babies sleeping in the playpen with Daniel and Holly

"That's good, Daniel is being assessed on Monday" replied Amy

"Have you heard yet when Marie and Archie will be accepted into Mayfields? Asked Bernadette to Penny and Amy

"No not yet, I am guessing pretty soon though, how's Rose coping? Replied Amy

"Oh great, she loves school and has made lots of new friends and it's nice that Marie and Archie will go together and then the following year, there will be three starting together" replied Bernadette

"Three? Queried Amy trying to remember

"Yes, Rebecca, Richard and Chandra" replied Bernadette

"Of course"

"Have you and Shelley decided on godparents yet? I am presuming and hoping you are getting Daniel christened? Asked Mary

"Yes and we haven't told them yet but now is just as good a time as any I guess, Raj, Leonard and Natasha will be Daniels Godparents, we kind of had a deal a few years ago to spread the godparent duties around" replied Sheldon

"Are you two getting Holly christened? Asked Wyatt

"Yes and with what Sheldon just said, Kelly, Alex and Howard will be Holly's" replied Penny

"You know I wish we didn't have to go back to Nebraska, I am going to miss you all" said Hannah

"Stay longer then" replied Penny

"We can't, we already have been away for nearly two months and whilst your cousins are ok running the farm, your father and I really do need to get back but you all make sure you come and visit in the summer, when the babies are a bit older" replied Hannah

"Sure, course we will" replied Penny smiling at her mother

"Also as Mary held Christmas in Texas a couple of years back then we would like to do the same for everybody" added Hannah

"How do you mean? asked Natasha

"Wyatt and I were thinking of inviting you all over this year, if you can't make it then it's not a problem" replied Hannah

"Raj and I have already made plans as my family are to come and see us for Christmas this year" replied Kelly

"And we usually spend it with my family" replied Bernadette

"Well Sheldon and I will talk about it certainly but I think it is a definite maybe" replied Amy

"Well the offer is open to everybody" said Hannah

"How comes your mom is not here tonight Amy? She usually joins us" asked Penny

"Catching up with her sisters and she took Marie and Richard with her" replied Amy

"You didn't want to go?

"Not really, I would rather be here with all of you" replied Amy smiling at her friends as Daniel woke up whimpering a little, Mary went and picked him up and brought him over to Sheldon and Amy where they spent a few minutes fussing over him

"Newborn babies are just lovely aren't they" commented Hannah watching Amy and Sheldon with Daniel and their delight at just holding him

"Yes but all too soon they grow up and have opinions" replied Amy

"When are you planning on going back to work Amy? Asked Mary

"From the start of April I will work 3 mornings a week until May and then work 10 until 3 every day and once Daniel is a bit older, I will go back to my usual hours, mom is great with all the children so I know I wont have a problem there" replied Amy

"Have you and Sheldon thought more about the fostering plan you had? Asked Penny

"Yes we are going to the Social Services office next week to speak to somebody and get more information about it" replied Amy

"So you're really going to do this then? Asked Bernadette who was curious

"Yes we think it's a good idea and there is no harm in just finding out about it" replied Amy

"Seeing as we originally planned this for games night, the guys and I will be off to the games room now" said Sheldon

"Sure have fun" replied Amy kissing him, then getting off him and letting him get up

_**The following week **_Amy and Sheldon arrived at the Social services department, they had booked an appointment and had just been called in, Amy had brought Daniel with her and he was strapped to Amy in a sling, Barbara was at her own house minding the children

"Hi my name is Louise Parks, I understand you are interested in fostering, what brought you to that?

"A few months ago, a newborn baby was left on our doorstep and we ended up minding her until the morning and we have been thinking about it ever since" replied Amy

"Oh you're the couple that Karen left the baby with, she is very well known in Social Services, now may I ask how many children do you have?

"Yes, two boys and a girl, they are aged 1 month, 3 and a half and 5 in reverse order" replied Amy

"Any pets? Sometimes we have children that are scared of or allergic to animals

"Yes three dogs and four rabbits"

"Very good, now I hope you understand what fostering involves, it's not always that you get happy children, a lot of them are very troubled and need specialist help"

"Yes we understand that"

"Did you have an age range in mind?

"Not really, that's why we wanted your advice" replied Amy

"Usually with new fosterers we send you the younger children, the teenagers usually go to more experience fosterers who know how to deal with their problems" replied Louise

"What's the usual length of time that we have the child? Asked Sheldon

"It very much depends on the situation, for example there was one not so long ago where both the parents died in an accident and the rest of the family was away overseas on holiday and it took them two days to get back, so it can be as short as a couple of days or as long as a few months"

"We are definitely interested though" said Amy

"Do any of the fosterers end up adopting the child? Asked Sheldon

"Yes there have been many cases of that and I can see you have a lot on at the moment with the new baby, I will give you some more information that you can look up online, this will give you reviews from fosterers and children alike and if you decided to go ahead then we will need to make a home visit to watch you how you all interact as a family before we make a decision" said Louise

"Thank you for your help" replied Sheldon nodding at her

"No problems, one other thing though, presumably you both work, who looks after the children during the day?

"My mom is their official childminder and the two eldest go to Nursery but my eldest will be going to school in September"

"Does she look after other children as well? Asked Louise

"Yes my sister-in-laws sisters children and they live next door to us" replied Sheldon

"Well if you do decide to go ahead then she would need to be involved in the process if you both work and she looks after your children then, also if you do decide to go ahead then often you will get calls late at night requesting help" replied Louise

"Thank you for your time" said Amy getting up

"No problems, your baby is very quiet" commented Louise

"Yes I made sure I fed him just before leaving" smiled Amy giving Daniel a kiss on the head and they left the office

Once they were home, Amy put Daniel in his moses basket as he was still sleeping and took him up to the office where she and Sheldon went through the website that Louise had recommended

"What do you think Sheldon? I would like to do it" asked Amy a few minutes later

"Yes I would too but do you think we could wait a bit of time, Daniel is only a month old and he still needs getting used to and we also need to speak to your mom because apparently she will be involved in the childminding process" replied Sheldon

"That's fine, today was just really about getting more information, I know how supportive you are" replied Amy leaning over to give him a very passionate kiss

"I shall be as supportive as ever if I get kisses like that" replied Sheldon smiling at her and giving Amy a cuddle

"Good to know" replied Amy

"Did you know I haven't touched my whiteboard since we had Daniel? Going back to work is going to be strange" said Sheldon

"It will take a bit of getting used to that's for sure, why don't you and Leonard go in on Saturday for a few hours to catch up and get ready for Monday? Suggested Amy

"You know that's actually a good idea, I will talk to Leonard about it" replied Sheldon

"Also Alex wants to take Marie and Rose for the fitting for the bridesmaid's outfits, I will go with her and mom can look after Daniel and Richard"

"Is that on Saturday?

"Yes, come on lets go and get lunch, mom wont be back with the kids until 4, so lets make the most of the peace before Daniel wakes up" said Amy standing up and picking up the moses basket and walking down the stairs with Daniel and Sheldon following

"You know I don't think we need the gates open anymore during the day, the kids are fine with the stairs, maybe just at night" said Sheldon once they were in the kitchen

"True and I don't really mind if the dogs come upstairs, they are very protective of the children and excellent guard dogs" replied Amy putting the moses basket on the dining room table

"Here you sit down and I will make lunch, give me a chance to spoil you" said Sheldon

_**By the end of January**_ Alex had finalised all the plans for the wedding, Natasha was able to fit into her dress, she had bought a size bigger and had aimed to lose the required amount of weight to fit in to it, all the kids outfits had been bought and Mitchell had bought his suit for the wedding

Penny and Raj successfully negotiated another year for her collection at the New York Bloomingdales and Sarah had kept the price at $300,000

Amy and Sheldon had made a decision about fostering after speaking with Barbara who was happy to help and had called Louise back to say that they would be interested and she had arranged to come to their house at the weekend for the home visit

Sheldon and Amy had gone on a quick cleaning blitz and were sitting in the lounge worrying about the visit when Louise arrived

"Hi Louise please come in" said Amy as she answered the door

"Thank you, you have a beautiful house, how long have you lived here?

"Oh we moved here in 2014" replied Amy as Daisy introduced herself to Louise by circling her and then deciding she was ok, let out a friendly woof

"That means she likes you" commented Sheldon

"Oh good" replied Louise bending down to pat Daisy as Duke and Cassie also made themselves known

"Did you want a house tour first? Asked Amy

"Yes please, I would need to see what sleeping arrangements you have in place also for the foster child" replied Louise

"Maybe we can start with upstairs then" said Amy leading Louise upstairs to the loft conversion

"We originally planned this conversion for us to move into but we wont do that until the children are much older and if we do get a foster child then they will have a bit of private space up here" said Sheldon

"I can see there is plenty of space and it has a private bathroom, what's that room there? Asked Louise as they left the bedroom and noticing another door

"Oh that's our office" replied Amy opening the door and showing Louise

"Also we can remove the double bed and replace it with two single beds as we have two bedrooms in the annexe with single beds as well as a double" added Sheldon

"That's good to know" replied Louise as they made their way down to the first floor

"These rooms are all occupied by ourselves and the children" said Amy showing her

Amy then took her downstairs and then to the annexe, Louise was then introduced to Barbara and the children and then sat back watching the family together and making notes on their behaviour and interactions, Louise stayed for most of the day and accepted lunch and dinner from Amy

"Thank you for allowing me to observe your family, I have written everything down that I need to and it will just take a bit of time to go through the formal motions, I will say here and now though that I will recommend you be accepted for fostering but the final decision will lay with my immediate boss" said Louise

"That's encouraging news then" said Amy

"Yes, you should expect to hear back from me in the next month or so, we will also have to by law do a Criminal Records check, presumably you have no objection to that? Asked Louise

"No objections from us at all" said Amy

"Very well, you will receive a report in the post of everything I have written down" replied Louise as Amy showed her out

"Amy what about the restraining orders that have been given to me in the past? Won't they come up? Asked Sheldon

"Perhaps but all of those were so long ago now that it probably wont matter" replied Amy

"Mommy is that lady going to give us a baby? Asked Marie who wasn't quite sure what was going on

"Sort of, she was assessing us as family to see our suitability and she liked us all" replied Amy

"Also if we do get a child, it wont be permanent, it's just until somebody can look after them permanently" replied Sheldon

"Can't you look after them? Asked Marie

"Well for now we are just thinking about fostering, if it works out then perhaps we will think about adopting in the future" replied Amy

"Ok mommy can we get Archie and Corey and play in the pool together? Asked Marie

"Yes, Penny said she would be over afterwards, let me just text her" said Amy

_**Two weeks later, **_Sheldon had just arrived home from work and was helping Amy with the children when there was a knock at the door, he went off to answer it

"Hello there Dr Cooper" said Louise

"Oh hi, please come in" said Sheldon standing aside and showing her to the kitchen

"Hi Louise" said Amy

"Hi, I am here with good news, you have been accepted into the fostering program" said Louise passing them a thick package

"What's this? Asked Amy

"The report I did and more forms for you to fill out just to confirm your availability" replied Louise

"Ok and thank you so much" replied Amy

"You're welcome, also Dr Cooper whilst we did the CRB check we noticed you had some restraining orders against you, but they were such a long time ago that it no longer matters and therefore doesn't count against you" said Louise

"I was worried about that" replied Sheldon

No need to be, I think you two will make excellent foster parents" replied Louise smiling at them as Sheldon and Amy hugged each other in delight

_**Next chapter up soon**_


	59. Chapter 59

_**Cheers for reviews, follows, favourites and comments elsewhere**_

_**Two weeks later - March 1**__**st**__** 2020**_

Two weeks after Sheldon and Amy had been informed they would be accepted into the fostering program, it was time for Marie's 5th birthday, Marie had chosen to spend the previous night at Barbara's house with Richard and would be returning in time for her party that Amy was arranging, Amy and Sheldon however were still in bed, Amy had just woken up after hearing Daniel crying a little and she had gone to his room to check on him and once he had gone back to sleep she returned to bed, her movements woke Sheldon up

"Morning Amy"

"Hey stud, how are you?

"Excellent as always" replied Sheldon leaning in to Amy for a kiss and cuddle

"I had an idea that came to me" said Amy a few minutes later once they had finished kissing, they were still cuddling however

"What's that? Asked Sheldon caressing her shoulders and making her shiver

"We have enough money in our savings to put an extension on the back of the house and I think we will get approval as a precedent has been set already, the people next door to Leonard and Penny have done it and several houses down from us it has been done" replied Amy

"Why do we need an extension?

"Well the kids have their own rooms but I would like them to have a playroom and if we have a two storey extension then there will be another bedroom and if it's possible we can connect the upstairs to the annexe"

"How can we connect the upstairs?

"The back of the garages and annexe end around 10 feet past the back of the house, so we could build some sort of corridor that goes across the back but only upstairs as we would still need access to the garden from the front via the back gate"

"I like that idea and also if we get foster kids they can have a room downstairs with us" replied Sheldon

"Yes, that was part of the idea I had, I did some drawings which we can submit to the planners"

"You do have the best ideas Amy and also you have a great body" added Sheldon pulling her closer into his arms and kissing her again

"Feel free to compliment me like that again" replied Amy

They continued kissing and Amy began running her hands over his chest and down to his stomach and then cupping his erection, Sheldon made a strange noise when she did this and moved on top of her, soon they were grinding against each other, Sheldon caressed her breasts gently as he knew Amy was still sensitive in that area and then moving up Amy's body so his erection was near Amy's mouth, Amy guided his arousal into her mouth and gave Sheldon a treat she knew he would enjoy

"Oh my god" exclaimed Sheldon a few minutes later after some skilful sucking from Amy brought him shuddering to orgasm, he lay back panting and trying to recover his body movements

"You liked that huh? Asked Amy

"You know I did and I will return the favour in a few moments" replied Sheldon

"Presumably you have condoms?

"Yes in the draw here, I know we need to be careful in that area" replied Sheldon leaning over to his bedside cabinet and finding the packet of condoms and taking one out

"Wait there a moment" said Amy getting out of bed and going to the ensuite bathroom

In the bathroom Amy turned the shower on and waited until it got hot and then called Sheldon, he arrived quickly already aroused and wearing a condom for what was to come, he picked her up and carried her into the shower, Amy wrapped her legs and arms around his as he leaned against the wall for support and with the water running over them, he thrust into Amy, kissing and penetrating deeper every time, Amy orgasmed a few minutes later, Sheldon lowered her down and held her while her body quivered in ecstasy

"You know I think coitus with you just gets better and better and we proved that the first time we had coitus after Daniel was born" said Amy as Sheldon had moved onto washing Amy all over

"I agree with you there" replied Sheldon leaning down to kiss her

Amy got Sheldon's sponge and cleaned him all over and once they were done they returned to the bedroom to get dressed, Daniel then woke up properly for his morning feed so Amy who was still breastfeeding stayed in his room with him while Sheldon went off to prepare breakfast

After breakfast, Sheldon had asked Amy to show him visually her plans so she took him outside with the plans she had drawn up

"I can see more clearly now your ideas and I think it's excellent, I think we should go for it" said Sheldon a few minutes later as they went into the lounge and sat down on the couch

"And its not like we will lose any garden space, whilst the pool house is further down on the same side, there is plenty of space in between and the garden is over a 150ft long after all" replied Amy

"What time is everybody coming today? Asked Sheldon

"I said 3pm, that way we have enough time to get everything ready, the man with the bouncy castle will be here at 12 to set that up and we have all the food and drink, so you just need to BBQ the food that needs that and I will cook the rest" replied Amy

"Are Raj and Kelly coming?

"Yes, why wouldn't they be?

"Kelly usually works on Saturdays"

"Well she can come afterwards, Raj usually has the kids all day Saturday and Sunday anyway" said Amy picking up the March issue of OK magazine and flicking through it

"Is there anything in particular you want to watch? I can put one of my Star Trek DVDs' on if you like? Asked Sheldon

"You can watch it if you like, oh look there's a long range picture here of Penny and Leonard with the kids and all of us are with her" said Amy looking closer at the picture and showing Sheldon

"That must have of been when we went to the park last month" said Sheldon

"I wonder if she knows, let me just ring her to come round" said Amy picking up her phone and calling Penny, she and Leonard came round a few minutes later with the kids, Archie and Corey went up to see the rabbits and Penny put Holly in the playpen next to Daniel who was sleeping again

"I didn't even know there were photographers in the park" said Penny after seeing the pictures

"The only good thing is that the kid's faces have been blurred out" said Leonard

"Yeah, when did this magazine come out? Asked Penny turning to the cover

"Must have been this week, but I only got it yesterday and this morning was the first chance I have had to read it" said Amy

"Hmm I need to phone Claire, see if they mentioned anything to her" said Penny quickly phoning her manager and going to the kitchen, Archie and Corey came into the living room to ask Amy a question

"Auntie Amy can Corey have a rabbit to keep here with our ones? Asked Archie

"Of course you can, I am sure your daddy would be happy to take you to the store" said Amy looking at Leonard

"Sure but not today, maybe tomorrow ok? Said Leonard to Corey who just nodded

Penny returned back with news

"Claire didn't know either but she also had other news for me, as I am still technically on maternity leave until the end of next week I am going on the afternoon presenter slot of the HSN as holiday cover" said Penny

"That's excellent news" said Leonard giving her a hug

"Yes, I do like presenting much more than acting, I can talk to Barbara later when she gets here to arrange childcare" replied Penny

"She will be here at three when she brings Marie and Richard back" said Amy

"Missy skyped me last night, she looks ready to burst" said Penny

"Yes she only has 3 weeks to go, its funny how her due date is the same as Alex's wedding date" replied Amy

"Yes I don't think she will make it to the wedding" added Penny

"We were just about to take the dogs out for a walk if you wanted to come? Asked Leonard

"Sure why not, we have to be back before 12 though" said Amy

_**Later that afternoon **_Sheldon and Amy with help from Leonard and Penny had everything organised for the party, some of Marie's nursery friends were also invited, Barbara had dropped Marie and Richard off and then said she had to go somewhere but she would be back later on and Raj had bought Chandra, Anita and Yasmin over, he was planning Yasmins 1st birthday party for the following week, Bernadette and Howard arrived with the kids at the same time, both of whom looked annoyed with each other

"What's the matter with you two? Asked Amy looking at their faces

"Ask Howard" spat Bernadette storming off to the table with the drinks on it and pouring herself a glass of wine, Amy watched astonished as she gulped the drink down in one and then repeated again

"What did you do to her? Asked Amy

"its my own fault really, she said she had to work late on Friday with some of her work colleagues which she never usually does, so I left the kids with my mom and went to her workplace and interrupted a meeting with her and her boss and stupidly accused them of having an affair" said Howard watching his wife who was talking to Natasha and Penny and pointedly ignoring him

"Howard, why on earth would she have an affair and why would you think she was? Exclaimed Amy

"I don't know, paranoia perhaps but now she's angry with me and punishing me by making me sleep on the sofa" replied Howard looking down at his feet and fiddling with his fingers

"Then you need to do some serious making up" said Amy patting his arm and going off to where the girls were

Not long after the party got started, the kids were enjoying themselves on the bouncy castle, some of the adults were in the pool house and Natasha and George had brought the twins with them and they were now just over three months old and thriving, Natasha had Ellie strapped to her in a sling while George had Toby in a sling on his front, Amy had spoken with Bernadette alone and noticed that she had calmed down a little and she and Howard had gone off inside the house to talk their problems through, Bernadette came back out a few minutes later, Amy was at the BBQ with Sheldon talking

"Amy there is a lady at the door for you, I brought her through to the kitchen, she said her names Louise? Said Bernadette

"Oh that's our case worker with the fostering agency" said Amy as Sheldon called Leonard over to take over the BBQ and they went inside, Howard and Bernadette left the house and returned to watching over the children

"Hi Louise, how are you? Said Amy shaking her hand

"Very well, sorry to interrupt your party and I should of called but we just had a call regarding two children that need looking after for maybe a week, it could be less or more though and I was hoping that you could have them?

"Oh sure, what happened? Asked Amy

"Whilst I can't discuss the exact specifics of the case, the mother has to go to San Diego to look after her sick mom and the father is away overseas on active military duties, the mother though doesn't want to take the children out of school here in Pasadena" replied Louise

"How old are they? Asked Sheldon

"They are both twin girls aged 9 called Lauren and Poppy, their mother is outside in her car with them now, they both go to Mayfields Junior School" replied Louise

"Sure bring them in, we will be happy to take them, presumably the girls are ok with it?

"Yes they understand, also I wasn't sure if you knew this but you will receive payment as well to help financially in looking after the children" added Louise

"Oh we didn't know that" said Amy following her out to the front of the house where Louise had parked

"Yes you get $300 a week per child, this will be transferred into your account on Monday" said Louise as she signalled for the mother to get out of the car with the kids, she came over to Amy and Sheldon

"Thank you so much for doing this, all my family are in San Diego and I would of left them with my best friend but she just had a baby so she has enough to deal with" said the lady passing over two suitcases to Sheldon

"Amy, Sheldon this is Maggie the mom and this long brown haired girl is Lauren and Poppy is the one with short hair" said Louise making the introductions

"Hello, nice to meet you both, we are currently having a birthday party for my daughter who is 5 today, all the kids are a lot younger but I hope you can join in some way" said Amy extending her hand for them to shake which they did and then did the same for Sheldon and then Amy waited as the kids gave their mother a hug and kiss goodbye and she left with Louise. Amy took them into the house and then through to the garden

"What should we call you Mrs Cooper? Asked Poppy

"Just call me Amy please and call Mr Cooper Sheldon" replied Amy smiling at them

"There is a lot of people here" commented Lauren

"Yes, would you like me to introduce you to everybody? Asked Amy as Penny and Leonard came up to them

"Yes please" squeaked Poppy who was clearly nervous which Amy realised

"If you feel overwhelmed you don't have to meet everybody just yet, did you bring any DVDs with you?

"Yes" replied Poppy

"Ok you can go in the lounge and watch them then, are you both hungry?

"No mommy fed us before she bought us here but could we have a drink please? Asked Lauren

"Sure, Sheldon will you make them drinks please, what would you both like?

"Coke please" replied Lauren, Amy took them to the lounge where the dogs were, luckily the kids liked the dogs and the likeness was mutual with the dogs letting the kids play with them, Amy could see the nervousness from the kids already starting to leave them

"Would you like me to stay in here with you whilst you get settled? Asked Amy as Sheldon brought their drinks to them

"Sure, who was that pretty blonde lady in the garden? Asked Poppy

"Oh that's my best friend and neighbour Penny Hofstadter" replied Amy as Marie came running in looking for her parents

"Hi mom, who are they? Asked Marie noticing the girls

"They are Lauren and Poppy they will be staying with us for a while" replied Amy as Penny brought Daniel in who was crying and ready for a feed

"You are very pretty" said Poppy when she saw Penny

"Thank you" replied Penny smiling at her

"I just have to go upstairs and feed Daniel, Penny and Sheldon will stay here with you if you like? Asked Amy as she received nods from the girls

An hour later both the girls felt settled enough to go outside, Penny had already gone out to tell their friends the situation and asked them not to make too much of a fuss when they did come out, Sheldon with help from Leonard and George had already swapped the double bed in the loft conversion for two single beds that were stored in the annexe, they had made the beds up and left towels on the bed for them as well

"You have a pool? Commented Poppy

"Yes, you can go in if you like" said Amy

"Ok, mommy packed our swimming costumes, do you have a room we can get changed in? asked Poppy

"Yes, I can sure you your room as well" said Amy leading her upstairs and pointing out the different rooms that her children slept in and then up to the loft conversion

"This is nice" said Lauren, choosing her bed whilst Poppy put her suitcase on the other bed

"Yes, please feel free to unpack or if you like later on, when the party has ended, Sheldon and I can do it for you" said Amy

"Thank you Amy" said Poppy

"Come down when you are ready" said Amy leaving them to some privacy

The girls came down a few minutes later and found Amy who was in the pool house holding Ellie and blowing kisses on her cheek

"Hi Amy can we go in? asked Poppy who had brought a towel with her

"Yes of course" replied Amy as Marie who had been on the tree swing at the end of the garden came running into the pool house

"I want to swim with you both" said Marie

"Sure" said Lauren taking her hand and helping her into the pool, Poppy soon joined her and soon they were having fun with the older kids

"They seem to be settling in well" said Penny

"Yes, I hope it continues that way, I will introduce you all properly to them in a bit" replied Amy

"No worries" replied Penny smiling at her

Poppy and Lauren left the pool after spending time splashing around with the children, they came and sat on the sun loungers next to Amy

"Would you like me to introduce you to everybody? Asked Amy

"Yes please" replied Poppy

"Ok, you have already met Penny, that's her husband Leonard next to her and he is holding their daughter Holly, their sons Archie and Corey are up the end of the garden by the rabbit pen" Amy then introduced them to the rest of her friends, Lauren had some questions

"There are a lot of babies, how old are they?

"Daniel who is mine is nearly three months and he shares the same birthday as Holly and Natasha and George over there have Ellie and Toby and they are just over three months"

"Oh, can I hold one of them? Asked Lauren

"Sure, Daniel is the only one that is awake so you can hold him if you like? Asked Amy

"Thank you" said Lauren as Amy picked Daniel up from his chair and passed him to Lauren

"Do you both want anything to eat yet? There is plenty of food available" said Amy

"Could I have egg and chips please? Asked Poppy

"Of course you can" replied Amy getting up but Sheldon stopped her

"You sit down and relax, I will do it" said Sheldon leaning down to kiss her and he went off to the kitchen with Poppy and Lauren following him after giving Daniel back to Amy

"They seem nice" said Bernadette once they were out of earshot

"Yes, the social worker didn't go into full details but the mom has to rush off and look after her sick mother and the father is away overseas" replied Amy

"They are very polite also" added Alex

"Yes they are, you might find yourself with two extra guests for the wedding" replied Amy

"That's ok, the more the merrier" smiled Alex as Poppy came back out with the OK magazine and asked Penny a question

"Why are you in the magazine, are you famous?

"I wouldn't say famous as such, I have done a bit of acting work and I appear in the Macys Christmas advert with Richard and Daisy and my dog who is next door and I own a exclusive clothing store" replied Penny

"I've seen that advert, I didn't realise it was you and Richard was funny in the last one" said Poppy

"Yes he was, the same day that was filmed was when my sister Natasha gave birth to the twins" replied Penny

"How did you meet George? Asked Poppy to Natasha

"I met him through Sheldon as he is Sheldon's brother" replied Natasha

"Oh so it's like you are a big wide family then? Asked Poppy

"Yes, also Sheldon's has a twin sister called Missy, she lives in Texas she is due to give birth soon" replied Amy

"You are all very nice, my daddy is on a submarine" said Poppy suddenly

"That's interesting" said Raj

"He is like the driver, mommy tried to explain it to me but I just pretended I understood" replied Poppy as Barbara arrived in the garden, Amy had already text her what had occurred

"Hi Mom, this is Poppy and presumably you have already met Lauren in the kitchen?

"Yes, hi Poppy nice to meet you" said Barbara shaking her hand

"Hi" squeaked Poppy again, clearly nervous

"You ok Poppy? Asked Amy

"Yes, my sister is the more confident one of the two of us, I am very shy"

"Really? But you are out here talking to all of us and not showing shyness" said Amy

"That's because you are all nice" said Poppy sitting down on the sun lounger that was next to Amy

Once the party ended, Sheldon and Amy were able to sit down with Poppy and Lauren in the lounge and talk to them more, the girls also had questions for them, Marie and Richard had gone to bed exhausted

"What jobs do you both do? Asked Poppy

"Sheldon is a theoretical physicist and I am a neuroscientist and I specialise in brain specimens and experiments and addictions studies in animals, mainly monkeys" said Amy

"Brains, that sounds yucky" said Poppy

"Perhaps at the beginning but I have been working with them for so long that I now found them fascinating" replied Amy

"Did you mom bring your school uniform? Asked Sheldon

"Yes we hung it up so it's nice and tidy for the morning" replied Lauren

"I will take you both to school then, I am on maternity leave at the moment otherwise usually my mom looks after the children when I work"

"Ok, do you mind if we go to bed now, we are tired" said Poppy

"Sure no problems, would you like me to leave the light on between my office and your room?

"No its ok we prefer full darkness to sleep" replied Lauren, as Amy followed them upstairs to their room

"Sheldon and I usually read to Marie and Richard before they sleep, if you would like us to do that for you then we can" said Amy

"No it's ok, thank you" replied Lauren

"Ok goodnight, see you in the morning" said Amy

_**A week later **_Sheldon and Amy still had the girls and they had been asked to look after them for another two weeks, both the girls were happy to stay and even enjoyed another party that Raj and Kelly held for Yasmin's first birthday and the girls were very happy when they were told they would be going to Alex and Mitchells beach wedding, Amy had gone out and bought them some outfits suitable for the wedding

Missy also gave birth three days before the wedding to Ruby who weighed 7lbs, she and Brett had shown her to her family and friends on Skype and Missy had also told the family not to come to Texas until after the wedding as she didn't want them to miss it

_**Next chapter will include the wedding and more**_


	60. Chapter 60

_**Still in March and wedding stuff**_

_**Enjoy!**_

It was the day before everybody was due to go to Malibu for Alex and Mitchells wedding and Amy and Sheldon had arranged for an architect and the builder that had done the loft conversion to take a look at the plans for the extension, the architect had a suggestion for a slight change of plans, Amy had already agreed to have the kitchen moved in to the extension which meant a brand new kitchen and the playroom at the front of the house, opposite the games room

"You say you only want a connection upstairs to the annexe, is that because you don't want to lose access to the garden from the front? Asked the Architect who was called Steve

"Yes that's correct" replied Amy

"Well we can connect to the annexe from downstairs as well, so that you can have quick access to the annexe from outside if you have visitors staying there, we can put a door there and then another one opposite it to go straight into the garden and for security purposes the existing annexe door should stay locked and we can put another door going from the new kitchen there" said Steve drawing on a piece of paper a sketch of his idea and showing them

"Oh we like that idea, also though if we are going have the playroom moved towards the front of the house and the kitchen and dining room part of the new extension, then we would like to have sliding doors would that work? Replied Amy

"Yes of course, it would create so much more light inside the house and I can see you have a dog flap from the kitchen door to outside, we can incorporate that into the new extension and into the two doors leading outside, the dogs will just have to learn to go out a different way" replied Steve

"That's great thank you, also we were thinking of redecorating the entire house, could that be factored into the price of the work? Asked Amy to the builder

"Yes sure no problems"

"For the upstairs connection, we will have to reconfigure the back bedrooms to make a corridor to the new one and then for the connection to the annexe, there wont be too much loss of space though" added Steve

"Thank you for your help, you have both been very helpful" said Amy

"No problems, I can draw up the new set of plans for you and have them back here on Monday and you can submit them to the council, I can already see that it will be better than some of the extensions on this road" replied Steve

"Did you do any of them? Asked Sheldon

"No but if I did they would be bigger and better" replied Steve as he and the builder made their way to the front door

"Thanks for your time again" said Amy shaking his hand

"No problems, I will be in touch"

_**In the three w**_eeks that Amy and Sheldon had Lauren and Poppy, they had been able to speak to their mother via Skype every night and Amy with the mothers permission and with their case worker Louise going with her, they had gone to the mothers house to retrieve the kids TV and some more games and books to put in their room to make them feel more comfortable, the girls had fitted in well within the group of friends and Penny had taken them to her work place and Amy had shown them her lab at work when she took Daniel in for the first time to show her and Sheldon's work colleagues

The plan for the wedding was that everybody would go to Malibu on the Friday and stay until Sunday, on the Thursday the whole group had been out to the Cheesecake factory for a celebration dinner which included some of Alex and Mitchells family , this was in place of a separate Stag and Hen do and Amy and Sheldon on returning home were sitting in the lounge after the kids had gone to bed, only Daniel was in the lounge asleep in his moses basket, Amy was working on some of the data she had received from the addiction study and Sheldon was watching a Star trek DVD on the TV through his earphones when Poppy came downstairs to the lounge, Amy was surprised to see that Poppy was upset and crying

"Poppy what's wrong? Asked Amy moving her laptop aside and ushering Poppy into the room, Poppy came straight to her

"I miss my mom, I know we speak every day but it's not the same" replied Poppy as Amy gave her a hug and then sat her down on the sofa for a cuddle

"I know you do but she's supposed to be coming back next week, did you want to Skype her again?

"No its ok, its late and I don't want to bother her" replied Poppy

"Would you like a cup of warm milk? I always make that for myself and Amy if something is bothering us" suggested Sheldon who had stopped the DVD

"Yes please and a biscuit" replied Poppy

"Sure" replied Sheldon patting her arm and going to off to the kitchen, Daisy who had been asleep in her basket next to the armchair and always knew when people were upset came over to where Amy was cuddling Poppy, Daisy rested her head on Poppy's lap while Poppy ruffled her fur

"She's a tonic hey" said Amy watching Poppy stop crying

"Yes I am going to see if Mommy can let us have a dog, your three are very good" said Poppy moving down on to the floor and cuddling Daisy, Duke decided he also wanted attention and sat the other side of her, nudging her arm with his nose

"Well if your mom agrees then tell her I recommend going to the Pasadena Humane Society, that's where we got Duke and Cassie from" said Amy

"What about Daisy? Asked Poppy as Sheldon came back in with a tray that contained three glasses of hot milk and a plate full of cookies

"Daisy was found by us tied to a lamp post further down the road, we used to live where Alex and Mitchell live now and we just took her in" replied Amy

"Oh that's sad, thanks for the drink Sheldon" said Poppy

"Your welcome" smiled Sheldon sitting back down next to Amy

"Is it ok if I take the drink and a cookie upstairs? Asked Poppy

"Yes that's fine" replied Amy

"Thanks, see you in the morning" said Poppy getting up and smiling at them and going up to her room

"We need to talk about the wedding and who will look after the kids, Marie will be a bridesmaid so Natasha will be dealing with them and my mom will help George with the twins, so you will need to watch Richard and Daniel whilst I look out for the girls" said Amy

"I agree but we can sort that out on the actual day of the wedding" said Sheldon

"Alex and Mitchell are staying at The Malibu Beach Inn for two nights and that's where the reception will be held" added Amy

"Are all the children going to share one room at the beach house again?

"Poppy and Lauren can have their own room and then the other kids can share again, Daniel will stay with us and my mom is staying at Alex's parents because of that" replied Amy

"Ok, Missy text me earlier, I forgot to tell you, she will bring Brett and the baby over in a few weeks, it will be easier than all of us going even though I told her it would be fine" said Sheldon

"Well we could still go, I am on maternity leave for another two weeks and so is Natasha and Penny is flexible with work at the moment" said Amy

"We will see, now seeing as Daniel is sleeping and it's almost midnight we should probably go to bed ourselves" said Sheldon

"Yes, come on then" said Amy finishing off her milk and cookies, she took Daniel from the moses basket and carried him upstairs to his room and put him into his cot

The next day the group were due to set off for Malibu at around 3pm, Barbara was using the people carrier to ferry Poppy, Lauren, Marie, Richard, Archie, Corey and Chandra which meant Sheldon and Amy only had to take one car with Daniel and Penny and Leonard had gone in his car with Holly, they had chosen not to take the dogs and Amy had arranged for Natasha and Penny's dogs and Cinnamon to stay at her house with her neighbour Nancy coming in to feed them, she had gotten to know them more since the previous year when they had the abandoned baby left at the door

The plan for the evening was to just have a relaxing time having fun and eating Chinese food, Lauren and Poppy however had not been to Malibu before and wanted to go on to the beach before nightfall, so before they ate, everybody went for a walk on the beach and Alex and Mitchell showed them the spot where they had chosen to get married, it was outside her parents house and in the morning the aisle would be arranged with a flower arch at the beginning and another arch behind where the minister would be standing, Alex and Mitchells parents would be arranging this and they had hired chairs for the occasion, Alex and Mitchell then received a call asking her and Mitchell to go to her parents house, so the rest of the group were relaxing on the beach talking

Natasha was sitting on the sand with the twins next to her talking to Penny about her maternity leave plans

"I was talking to George and he agrees with me that I will probably return to work once the twins are 6 months old, but to start off with I will only do two days a week to ease myself back in if that's ok? Asked Natasha

"Well if you are going to do two days a week then would you be ok working the weekend? Kelly has already asked about changing her shifts to days during the week so I could do with a manager for the women's section at the weekends" replied Penny

"Sure that works, I think once the twins are a year old, I can go back to working full time, George and I will find a childminder then" said Natasha

"I will be happy to mind them if you can't get anyone" said Barbara who was sitting the other side of Penny next to Amy

"Thank you but by the time they are a year old you will already be responsible for 6 kids, putting another two on you will be too much" replied Natasha

"Well four of them will be at school or nursery and I wouldn't mind but obviously the decision is yours, I would be happy to help out anytime though" replied Barbara

"Like when you have Marie and Richard when Sheldon and Amy have date night? Asked Natasha

"Yes of course, have you spent a night or an evening without them yet? Asked Barbara

"No but I will speak with George and let you know, twins can be demanding so a little break would be good" replied Natasha

When Alex and Mitchell came back the group returned back to the house once it started to get dark and continued with the evening of games and Chinese food, Alex and Mitchell also told the group what their parents had got them for a wedding gift

"Since we decided to get married, we combined our savings properly so we could save for a deposit on a house, we don't want to have a big mortgage and our parents and my aunt have chipped in with an extra $50,000 which is double what we have already" said Alex

"That's excellent news, have you thought about where you are going to live? Asked Penny

"Yes obviously for work purposes, Mitchell needs to stay in Pasadena and I am happy with the commute to Beverley Hills, so it will be somewhere close by to you all" replied Alex

"Alex I have something for you, I gave it to Penny and Natasha for their weddings and I would like you to have it as well" said Amy passing her a velvet bag with her tiara in it

"Oh Amy thank you so much" replied Alex hugging her

"Your welcome" smiled Amy

_**During the night **_all three new moms found themselves in the lounge with crying babies who had woken up hungry and once fed decided they didn't want to go back to sleep, Daniel was the loudest protestor which only encouraged the other three

"I don't understand why they don't want to sleep, usually Daniel wakes up once in the night only and goes back to sleep straight away" commented Amy as she tried to rock Daniel back to sleep

"Perhaps they can sense the change in location, after all they are not sleeping in their usual cots either" suggested Penny over the noise of Ellie who was bawling loudly

"Would anybody like some help? Asked Bernadette who had come downstairs after hearing the noise

"Yes please take Ellie and see if she will stop crying" said Natasha passing Ellie to her and turning her attention to Toby who was whimpering a little, Ellie stopped crying immediately when Bernadette took her and started singing soft kitty to her, it also calmed Daniel, Holly and Toby enough for them to settle

"I don't know why I didn't think of that" said Penny

"Sometimes the noise can drown thinking out" said Bernadette as she continued to sing softly to Ellie

"Anyway how did you know about that song? Asked Penny

"Amy told me about it ages ago" replied Bernadette

"Sheldon taught it to me when he was sick once" added Amy as they walked back up to their rooms with the babies now sleeping

The next day was bright and sunny and the group ventured out onto the beach where they could see the wedding scene was being built, the wedding was due to start at 12pm and Natasha had already taken Marie and Rose off to the hotel to get ready, she had expressed some milk for the twins as she knew she would be away for a few hours and also had got some regular formula milk just in case, George was fine with the twin, Barbara had offered her help should he need it though

By 1145 all the guests were ready and made their way onto the beach, it was supposed to be an informal dress occasion but Mitchell along with his best man brother were wearing full morning suits

"Are you not going to be hot wearing those? Asked Penny

"Yes but I want to look good for Alex, usually she sees me in gym wear so I wanted to surprise her, she hasn't seen my suit before today" replied Mitchell

"Then I think you will both be pleasantly surprised when you see each other" replied Penny as she went off to find her seat

The wedding ceremony took place without a hitch and the wedding party soon had a large group of beach walkers as onlookers who applauded them once Alex and Mitchell were confirmed as husband and wife, they walked back down the aisle and through the flower arch and everybody threw confetti over them, the photographer then spent time taking lots of pictures before they all made their way to the Malibu Beach Inn Hotel for the reception

Alex's parents had paid for the entire reception and for a band to play, there was also a buffet going on instead of a formal sit down meal and after the speeches had been had, Alex and Mitchell went on to the dance floor for their first dance as husband and wife, this encouraged the other couples, when Amy and Sheldon got up to dance she noticed her mother leave the room and return a few minutes later with a tall grey haired man she had never seen before

"Who do you think that is? Asked Amy to Sheldon

"Maybe just a friend, why don't you ask her?

"After this dance, I am way too comfortable with you at the moment" replied Amy smiling at Sheldon

Amy then noticed that Poppy and Lauren were dancing with Alex's nephews who were roughly the same age, she was happy to see them having fun, once she and Sheldon returned to their table, Barbara came over with her friend

"Hi Amy, I wanted you to meet my friend Ted, he lives next door to me and he is a widow" said Barbara

"Hi Ted, nice to meet you" said Amy shaking his hand

"You two, your mom has told me so much about you" replied Ted

"I wish I could say the same about you" replied Amy smiling at him

"What would you like to know? Asked Ted

"Oh" said Amy momentarily flummoxed "How did you and Mom become friends?

"We just happened to both be out tending the garden and got chatting, she's a wonderful lady" replied Ted looking at Barbara who was blushing

"That's nice" replied Amy smiling at the two of them

"Barbara would you do me the honour of dancing with me? Asked Ted extending his arm to her

"Of course" replied Barbara getting up and going off to the dance floor with him

"Amy I am not always clear on relationships but do you think they are dating? Asked Sheldon

"I think by the dreamy expression on Ted's face, I think he would like to be dating my mother and she has my blessing if that is the case" replied Amy

"Amy who is that man your mom is dancing with? Asked Penny who came over to their table

"That's her new friend Ted" replied Amy

"Hmm looks like more than just friends" replied Penny watching them

"Amy can we borrow your lap top to Skype our mom? Asked Lauren

"Of course, you can Skype her from the car if you like, less noise" replied Amy passing her car keys over

"Thanks Amy" smiled Lauren as she and Poppy went off

"Those girls are so lovely, I can see you will miss them when they are gone" commented Penny

"I will but I also hope that we could stay in touch, they only live on East Washington Boulevard after all and I have spoken to their mom a few times, she has a lot to deal with at the moment"

"Are you allowed to stay in touch once the children go? Asked Penny

"I have no idea, I am guessing that we can" replied Amy seeing Poppy come back

"Amy my mom would like to talk to you if that's ok? Asked Poppy

"Sure" replied Amy leaving Sheldon to watch over the children

Amy returned a few minutes later with news

"Maggie will be back on Saturday next week, her mother is improving" said Amy

"That is good news, I had a call from Claire earlier, the HSN want me as their regular stand in presenter so I could be doing more TV work, she knows my schedule though" said Penny

"That is good news" replied Amy

"They have scheduled me in for a weeks presenting at the beginning of May which suits me really" added Penny

The wedding celebration continued long into the night, the younger children had fallen asleep even above the noise of the band playing and at midnight, everybody left to return to the beach house, only Alex and Mitchell stayed at the hotel that night, Penny had also given Alex the week off and would be working herself most of the week

On Monday Amy received the revised extension plans and sent them off to the planning department for approval, she received confirmation that a decision would be made within a month

On Saturday Maggie returned to pick up the children, she was very thankful to Amy and Sheldon for helping her out with the children and Penny had extended an invitation to her and the children to her house in May for Corey's 3rd birthday, which they had accepted

Later on the same day, Barbara arrived with Ted to Amy's house, Penny, Leonard and the children were still there

"We would like to invite you to my house for dinner tonight" said Barbara

"Thanks mom we would be delighted to come"

"Ted will be there, he is now my companion" added Barbara

"Companion? Is that what you call older people when they are dating? Asked Penny

"Yes something like that" mumbled Barbara looking down embarrassed

"Don't be embarrassed I was joking" said Penny patting her arm

"I know but this is all new to me, I haven't dated anybody in quite a few years" replied Barbara

"Well good for you mom and I am guessing tonight we can learn more about Ted" added Amy

"You can ask me any questions you like" replied Ted smiling at Amy

"Natasha, George and the twins are coming also" added Barbara

_**Next chapter up soon and will include the getting to know Ted dinner **_


End file.
